More than 500 homes have been added to a swathe of properties already protected by SmartWater in a Staffordshire town as part of a multi-agency push on security and safety.
Police in Burton on Trent have provided kits containing SmartWater Technology Ltd's uniquely-coded forensic liquid to 542 more properties, following success in cutting burglary and theft rates in other parts of the town with SmartWater.
Residents of the Horninglow area were provided with the free kits as part of an initiative which also saw 165 residents sign-up for free home fire risk checks by Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and a 184 new additions to the community's Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
SmartWater had already been given by police to residents of the Anglesey, Winshill and Stapenhill districts of the town and has been credited with reducing house crime in those areas.
The colourless SmartWater liquid can be easily applied to belongings, including jewellery, electrical items and other portable valuables, as well as metal fittings which are increasingly being targeted by thieves looking to capitalise on increasing scrap values.
SmartWater enables officers to identify stolen material when they apprehend suspects or carry out routine checks. Officers can quickly examine items for SmartWater using portable ultraviolet lights or systems installed in their police stations.
As part of the initiative householders are also provided with SmartWater stickers to display in their windows, warning thieves that the property is protected. Independent studies have revealed that thieves understand that SmartWater increases their risk of being caught and successfully prosecuted.
A spokesman for Burton Police said: “SmartWater is a brilliant security system. When stolen items are recovered they are scanned for it so we can trace the owner's address.
“Offenders in custody can also be scanned for it and officers searching people on the street also carry the light to scan items they believe to be stolen.”
The spokesman added: “It is also a good thing to use in the run-up to Christmas, when people have gifts and goods wrapped up.”
Officers have displayed 30 SmartWater street signs in the Horninglow area to make potential thieves aware that the technology is being widely used.