Merseyside Police has joined up with the Post Office and SmartWater Technology Ltd, to clamp down on cash in transit robberies across the region.
Police officers from Merseyside will be working closely together to safeguard vehicles during deliveries and pick-up times to reduce the number of cash in transit robberies and deter offenders.
SmartWater Technology Ltd, specialists in forensic security, have developed a product to protect cash in transit couriers and guards. SmartWater is a unique method of marking items that is invisible to the naked eye and can forensically link criminals with individual crime scenes. The development of this unique forensic solution is incorporated into a variety of anti-theft systems, including cash boxes used by couriers. The SmartWater solution will be used to mark criminals as well as banknotes from cash boxes.
With 180 post offices across Merseyside, The Post Office has made a significant investment by incorporating SmartWater into all of its cash boxes used across the North West. As a result, criminals who break into the Post Office's cash boxes will unavoidably become contaminated by SmartWater. Specially adapted ultra-violet lamps are installed at every police custody suite in Merseyside to ensure that all suspected criminals can be checked for traces of SmartWater and officers have access to scanning devices, so that people can be scanned during routine stop checks.
Detective Superintendent Martin Andrew from Merseyside Police said: "We are pleased to be working hand in hand with the Post Office in the fight against CIT crime. The incorporation of SmartWater technology in cash boxes is a significant development as the crackdown on CIT robberies continues. Merseyside Police has been working closely with the security industry to develop ways to deter and catch more offenders and the incorporation of SmartWater is just one of them.
"This initiative will enable us to directly link an offender to a specific attack, which may have occurred up to six months previously anywhere in the country, providing us with robust and irrefutable forensic evidence. The Post Office's introduction of SmartWater is welcomed by Merseyside Police as one of the many developments we are progressing, along with tracking devices and other covert opportunities, to enable us to continue to improve crime detection rates for CIT crimes. "
Phil Cleary, Chief Executive of SmartWater, said: “SmartWater is delighted to be partnering with Merseyside Police and The Post Office on this initiative. The use of SmartWater technology is having a significant impact on the cash in transit sector, with almost 80 CIT offenders already identified as a result of SmartWater forensic analysis. To date, sentences ranging from 18 month to 8 years imprisonment have been ordered by the courts, with a total of 55 years imprisonment being issued as a result of SmartWater evidence.”