MORE than 400 households as well as primary and secondary schools across Rochford in Essex, are being protected by SelectaDNA property marking kits to deter burglars ahead of the summer holidays.
The kits, which have been funded by the Rochford District Community Safety Partnership, are being distributed to residents by officers from Hockley Safer Neighbourhood Team in areas such as Rayleigh, where there have been repeat burglary offences.
SelectaDNA links a criminal to a crime scene and provides an unbreakable chain of evidence for Police. The kits come with hi-visibility deterrent window stickers and signs for residents to display to warn potential thieves that their homes are secured with SelectaDNA. They can use the kits to mark personal possessions such as TVs, laptops and cameras, as well as garden items such as lawnmowers and tools.
Councillor Lesley Butcher, chair of Rochford District Community Safety Partnership, said: “It is gratifying that so many people are taking up our offer of the SelectaDNA kits. It shows they are serious about home security and keeping their property out of the hands of burglars.”
Cllr Butcher continued: “We continue to drive down burglary and the more we can encourage people to take preventative steps, like security marking their possessions, fewer residents will experience the trauma of being burgled.”
Schools in the area such as FitzWimarc School, a secondary comprehensive in Rayleigh, are also clamping down on security ahead of the long summer holidays.
The school is using SelectaDNA to protect expensive electronic items such as interactive whiteboards, overhead projectors and ICT equipment. If a marked item goes missing and police recover it, it can be easily traced back to the individual school via the unique DNA marking.
Additional deterrent measures are also in place throughout the Rochford area, including the metal street signs that have been erected as a warning to burglars.
Inspector Andy Parkman of Essex Police said: “The ‘Thieves Beware’ street signs represent a visible deterrent to criminals and go a long way towards making the district less attractive to burglars.”
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