Parks equipment used to tend the green spaces of Saddleworth and Lees, Oldham, in Greater Manchester, has been marked with a forensic trace product to combat theft.
Replacement strimmers, ride-on mowers and hedge cutters belonging to The Environmental Services at Churchill Playing Fields in Wellington Road have been marked with SelectaDNA Trace by officers from Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership. The marking comes after theft of more than £21,000 of equipment from the centre.
Local youngsters aged 13 to 19 regularly use the council-run youth centre, and the adjacent Churchill Playing Fields, that the maintenance equipment is needed for.
The fields are the largest recreational area in Saddleworth and Lees, covering about 7.8 hectares. They are used for a sportis and community events.
SelectaDNA Trace is the makers say suitable for outdoor metal marking. The solution, which comes in an aerosol contains two identifiers: Trace nanoparticles which authenticates the mark as a genuine SelectaDNA product, and metal microdots which identifies who the registered owner is. The code on the metal microdots is linked to a database accessible to police via secure online login.
Trace allows Police to identify stolen property on the spot, which means they are no longer reliant on lengthy analysis. This has led to arrests and convictions, with thieves admitting their crime because the on the spot evidence is so strong.
Michael Fleming, Community Safety Officer, Saddleworth and Lees District Team, said: “After expensive equipment was stolen from Churchill Playing Fields, we decided to use SelectaDNA Trace to deter further incidents of theft. Replacement equipment has now been marked so that it is traceable back to the centre, which plays an important role in the local community.
“We are doing all we can to prevent the centre being targeted again and are using deterrent warning signage to alert potential thieves that this new security system is in place.”
And Councillor Jean Stretton, Cabinet Member for Cooperatives and Neighbourhoods, said: “Oldham Council is supportive of the use of SelectaDNA to mark this valuable equipment and we are confident that this is a high-tech way to fight crime.”
More details from Selectamark Security Systems plc
1 Locks Court, 429 Crofton Road, Locksbottom, Kent BR6 8NL UK.
www.selectamark.co.uk/
