The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has welcomed certification body Thatcham’s extension to the withdrawal of their Whole Vehicle Marking certification to December 2022. It gives time for a new British Standard to be introduced as its replacement, the BSIA says.
The BSIA says that it lobbied on behalf of its Asset Property Marking company members that the original date of withdrawal of December 2020 gave not enough time for the industry to find a replacement accreditation, which usually takes 18 to 24 months.
The BSIA, after consulting with British Standards (BSI), will now develop its guidance (Form 121) on asset property marking into a British Standard, which will also include guidance found in the Forensic Science Regulator’s Office Code of Practice.
A panel is to set to work – from the BSIA, Thatcham, and association members Datatag, Selectamark, Smartwater and Retainagroup; the Forensic Science Regulator’s Office, the building research body BRE and the crime prevention scheme Secured by Design.
Peter Jack, BSIA’s Technical Officer and BSI panel Chair, said: “The BSIA welcomes the extension of the Whole Vehicle Marking certification and would like to thank Thatcham for their flexibility in agreeing to this and for their willingness to become involved in our proposed British Standard panel of experts. We would also like to commend Thatcham and other interested parties and key stakeholders on agreeing to participate in this ambitious and time-critical project.
“It is business-critical for our members that their asset marking products conform to a standard which carries the weight that the Thatcham certification currently maintains. We can now work collectively as an industry to ensure our new standard continues this quality of accreditation.”
And Kevin Howells, Chairman of the Asset Property Marking Group and CEO-Managing Director of Datatag, said: “With organised criminal gangs using ever more sophisticated tools and methods to steal and pass on stolen property, it’s critical for robust and secure marking technology to be used to combat this unwanted problem.
“Using cutting edge tried and tested identification technologies combined with accredited secure databases the systems we supply continue to play an important part as a proven theft deterrent, to act as the primary identifier and to aid in recovery for all sorts of vehicles, property and machinery from a tractor, to a bike or hand tools stolen from a commercial vehicle. It is essential that our industry has a workable and respected set of standards which is vital when considering the evidential quality required by law enforcement to secure prosecutions.”
