THERE have been no live cable thefts for nearly two years on the High Speed 1 (HS1) rail route since SelectaDNA Trace has been used to protect the entire line.
HS1, officially known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, runs for 108 kilometres (67 miles) between London St Pancras and the UK end of the Channel Tunnel, through Kent.
Security solutions group Land Sheriffs started to mark the route with SelectaDNA Trace in October 2013. Trace is a specially-formulated spray, which contains UV markers and DNA coded metal particles that can be used to identify the cable as belonging to a particular rail operator.
Copper cable, rail track and signal boxes have been marked along the length of the line and deterrent warning signs have been erected on perimeter fencing.
Chris Gough at Land Sheriffs said: “There have been no live cable thefts since the end of 2013 which has been as a direct result of using SelectaDNA. Having visible SelectaDNA signage in place has also acted as a deterrent and helped us achieve the low amount of cable crime on the HS1 route.”
Meanwhile, our DNA Superdog Jazz, who is the first detection dog in the world to be trained to sniff out forensic markings on stolen metal, has also played a part in reducing metal theft.
She was deployed in 2014 as part of The Met Police’s Operation Ferrous, a week-long campaign which resulted in more than 10 arrests, a scrapyard closure and the recovery of £4,600 of Thames Water cable and 50kg of BT cable.
Jazz has been used more recently as part of Cheshire Police’s highly successful Operation Shield campaign, where she was used to search Cash Converters stores for stolen goods.
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