Harborough homeowners get Smart to burglary

Date: 11th July 2008

A revolutionary crime-fighting initiative launched to warn burglars to stay away from homes in Market Harborough is embarking on its second round.

Operation SmartHomes, a Harborough Community Safety Partnership (CSP) initiative, has been out this week offering local residents the chance to have their valuable property security marked with SmartWater for free.

Members of the Harborough CSP team, police and Neighbourhood Watch volunteers have hand delivered hundreds of invitations to homes across the area, each containing a letter, a quick survey and a response slip.

Appointments will then be made for the team to visit homeowners and mark their property. Stickers are then placed in windows to let people know that home is protected by SmartWater.

Councillor Paul Dann, Harborough District Council's portfolio holder for community safety, said: "We want to send out a clear message to warn burglars to stay away from Market Harborough!

"Our key priority is to keep on reducing the number of burglaries in the Harborough area. We hope that by encouraging people to be more security-minded and implementing prevention measures such as SmartWater, we will deter burglars and help residents feel more secure in their homes."

SmartWater is a clear, water-based solution which is simply painted on to an item. Each brushstroke contains microscopic particles encoded with a unique SmartWater Identification Number (SIN), which is only visible under ultra-violet light. Officers can then easily identify the rightful owners of stolen goods.

Inspector Siobhan Barber, commander of the Harborough local policing unit, said: "This is another example of how we are using technology to fight crime and bring criminals to justice in order to create a safer community for residents."

The Harborough Community Safety Partnership, made up of the police, council, youth offending service, fire and rescue service and other agencies, originally launched Operation SmartHomes at the beginning of the year.

The team is now embarking on their second phase of the rollout of SmartWater to homes across the District. Street signs will also be installed across areas of Market Harborough to let people know they are entering a SmartWater zone.

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