One of the north west’s largest registered social landlords, Wirral Partnership Homes (WPH), is tackling crime in its communities with the help of SmartWater. WPH Neighbourhood Wardens have been issuing SmartWater to vulnerable residents in an effort to deter would be thieves.
Empty properties which have been a target for boiler and metal thieves, have also been getting the SmartWater treatment making them less tempting targets. Central heating boilers, copper and new kitchen units are now routinely marked with SmartWater and warning signs are erected on properties. In addition to this, Merseyside Police and Wirral Borough Council carry out spot checks on vehicles carrying metal through local ports or taking metal to local scrap yards.
SmartWater works by assigning metals and other items of property with their own chemical code which is uniquely registered to its owner and is virtually impossible to remove. The invisible liquid can only be seen using UV light, which can then be analysed to trace any stolen goods back to their rightful owner. It also allows Police to link offenders with a particular crime scene and pursue a criminal conviction.
WPH Neighbourhood Warden Dave Shirley stated that, ‘WPH wants to see crime come down across Wirral and, thanks to SmartWater, we have taken a significant step in the right direction. We are sending out a clear message that if thieves try to target our customers, they are running a much higher risk of being caught and convicted.”
SmartWater Chief Executive Phil Cleary, said: ““SmartWater has already been successfully used to convict metal thieves and maintains a 100% conviction rate when used as evidence in court. We will continue to work closely with the Police and other partner agencies to help combat this nationwide problem.”