State of-the-art forensic technology has arrived at a Valley school as part of a major crime crackdown.
Haslingden High School, on Broadway is the first in Rossendale to receive SmartWater treatment on all of its IT equipment in a bid to deter thieves and drive down crime rates.
SmartWater is a revolutionary forensic technology that works using a solution that is only visible under ultraviolet light; it is sprayed on to equipment and allows police to forensically link property with its owner and a criminal to a crime scene.
Haslingden’s Neighbourhood Policing Team and Rossendale crime prevention officer PC Phil Buck have worked closely with Haslingden High School pupils and members of the school council to deliver the SmartWater initiative.
Pc Buck said: ‘This is the first major school SmartWater project we’ve done in Rossendale. So far we have worked on the IT equipment and we also plan to mark the projectors, music equipment and television sets. Basically all the property that a thief would find attractive will be marked with SmartWater.’
SmartWater has more than 600 convictions to its name and also maintains a 100 per cent conviction rate when used as evidence in court. Rossendale is among 95 per cent of UK police forces to have deployed SmartWater as part of crime reduction initiatives and officers are trained to detect it. Pc Buck added that a further SmartWater initiative was due to be rolled out on a Valley residential estate in the coming months.
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