SmartWater’s investigators joined police in Kent in a crackdown on scrap metal theft that recovered tonnes of stolen cable.
They were part of a multi-agency operation which carried out a day of action in the west of the county, aiming to both recover stolen material and send a deterrent message to others in the scrap business.
Three-and-a-half tonnes of highly valuable telephone and electrical cabling was recovered from one site, with officers from the Kent force warning that more spot checks and, if necessary, raids would follow.
Officers carried out their day of action in a bid to combat the rising tide of metal theft, caused by big increases in demand for scrap metal around the world, which has led to ever-higher prices and a subsequent rise in theft.
SmartWater investigators equipped with ultraviolet lamps and access to the SmartWater database can work with police and other to quickly detect items marked with the uniquely-coded forensic liquid and identify where they came from and whether they are stolen.
Representatives from a variety of relevant organisations were also involved in the Kent Police-led operation, including the Environment Agency, Department for Work and Pensions, Her Majesty's Courts Service and BT's metal theft taskforce, providing a co-ordinated approach that sends a strong message to other scrap dealers to ensure they are only carrying out legitimate business.
Among others, BT has deployed SmartWater on critical parts of its network in the knowledge that, as well as providing evidence of theft, it is a strong deterrent to thieves who understand how easily they can be caught when they come into contact with the liquid.
Phil Cleary, chief executive of SmartWater Technology Ltd, said: “We are always pleased to play our part in supporting operations by the police and other agencies because they do have a significant effect. Stolen metal has to be sold to make the crime pay, so by putting the less scrupulous scrap metal dealers on notice that they stand a high chance of being caught if they buy stolen material we are shutting down the avenues for the thieves themselves to profit by their crime.
“They also come to understand very quickly that they can't defeat a multilayered approach to risk management that includes SmartWater.”