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A High-tech archway is helping officers outsmart criminals being brought into Lancaster’s police cells.

On arriving at the city centre station, offenders are walked through a corridor kitted out with a UV (ultraviolet) device, which scans them for SmartWater traces.

SmartWater contains a unique forensic code, which can link criminals to a particular crime scene. It is invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen under ultra violet lighting.

Many businesses now mark their property with SmartWater, or have devices that can surreptitiously spray the substance during a break-in or robbery. Once marked, it can remain on the skin for weeks and is incredibly difficult to remove from clothing or other items.

Inspector Dave Hayes, Lancaster police, said: “There are two benefits to using the SmartWater arch - as the substance is so hard to wash away it is easy for us to tell if the offender has been involved in a crime and we can then use the forensic code to link them to that crime.”