The partnership between the Metropolitan Police and SmartWater was launched in March 2015 under the joint initiative called ‘MetTrace’. The forensic marking product company SmartWater was appointed the sole supplier of traceable forensic liquids.
Twelve months into a three year contract to protect 440,000 homes across the capital, the crime-reduction initiative is well on track to delivering outstanding results, says the Met. Last year, 129,780 MetTrace SmartWater Kits were issued to London homes. This resulted in a 27.5 per cent reduction in residential burglary in the MetTrace initiative areas (5.7 percent reduction in non MetTrace areas) with 1000 fewer victims. This is estimated to have saved £676,489 and 18,790 police hours.
The forensic liquid marks items of value with their own forensic ‘code’ which is almost impossible to remove. Any traces of the liquid will glow bright yellow under ultraviolet light, allowing Met officers to easily identify any marked property. The code within the traceable liquid provides an irrefutable forensic link back to the owner of stolen goods and also links criminals with the scene of the crime.
The MetTrace initiative enables residents to mark their valuables and make them identifiable and reduce domestic burglary. This is supported by continuous police training to help identify SmartWater-marked items when recovered. The installation of MetTrace signage around the city streets and within police custody suites has also worked to inform both the public and criminals of the initiative to drive down crime and to identify which areas are protected by SmartWater.
Routine searches of offenders also now take place in police custody suites, in conjunction with a number of covert operations to catch thieves in action. Second hand dealers are also educated as part of this programme to not accept SmartWater-marked items. This has significantly increased the chances of arrest and conviction for thieves who targeted SmartWater-protected premises.
Detective Superintendent Iain Raphael, Met’s crime prevention lead, said: “We are delighted that our partnership with SmartWater and all the hard work of the MetTrace teams has produced such outstanding results for Londoners, both in terms of less burglary victims and reduced policing costs.”
And SmartWater’s Chief Executive, Phil Cleary, added: “SmartWater operates in a completely unique way. We work in partnership with the police to help them use our technology tosecure the conviction of criminals in the courts. It’s our track record in court that causes the criminal to want to avoid SmartWater, resulting in the creation of a powerful deterrent.”
First year results:-
129,780 MetTrace SmartWater Kits issued to London homes
27.5 per cent reduction in residential burglary in the MetTrace initiative areas (5.7 percent reduction in non MetTrace areas) with 1000 less victims.
Saving £676,489 and 18,791 police hours.
Eight convictions including a number of arrests as a result of covert operations.
4,000 deterrent street signs erected across the capital with another 2,000 ready to be installed shortly.
118,000 new contacts generated for local police community engagement
95,000 home owners indicated their interest to join their local Neighbourhood Watch and their details passed on.
Picture by Mark Rowe: Mettrace signage on street, North Beckton, east London.
