Homes and businesses near a new bypass in rural Cheshire are being protected from burglary thanks to the use of forensic marking in a partnership between Cheshire Constabulary and construction company Costain.
The police have been using SelectaDNA forensic marking, as part of Operation Shield, which has been in use across Cheshire against burglary since March 2015. The forensic liquid is uniquely coded to each property and can be used to mark belongings so they can be returned to the owner regardless of where the items are recovered.
Operation Shield has recorded up to 83 per cent reductions in domestic burglaries across Cheshire. The police force has now linked with Costain, builders of the new A556 Knutsford to Bowdon bypass. Costain have provided partnership funding to assist with crime prevention in the area of the bypass.
Chris Burrows, Costain Community Liaison Manager for the A556 Knutsford to Bowdon project said: “Costain are very pleased to be actively involved with the Cheshire Constabulary initiative and assisting with something that will have long lasting benefits to the local communities.”
PC Mike Dawber, Rural Beat Officer for Knutsford said: “This operation demonstrates that the Constabulary along with its partners will continue to tackle rural crime in all its forms, and this sends out a message that Cheshire will not be a soft touch for criminals. We have worked hard to tackle rural criminality in Cheshire. The Constabulary was one of only a few Police Forces that saw a reduction when the last rural crime figures were produced. Knutsford is a very low crime area and this operation will help to make villages safer still and reduce the likelihood of crime further.”
