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Sailors in Yarmouth Harbour on the Isle of Wight have shown their support for the police’s efforts to prevent crime affecting the marine community

The island’s mobile police office  gave advice on how the property marking system SmartWater can deter and detect thefts from boats. Thirty-one SmartWater kits were purchased by boat owners during a day-long crime prevention event in Yarmouth.

Marine Unit officers gave information about Project Kraken; Hampshire Constabulary’s award-winning campaign to prevent crime and terrorism by encouraging information and intelligence from people who use the sea and rivers. An extra 17 sailors registered their details for the scheme, which is the marine equivalent of Neighbourhood Watch.

SmartWater is a liquid that can protect property by assigning it with a unique DNA-style forensic code. These codes are stored on a secure database together with the owners’ details. SmartWater fluoresces yellow and green under UV light and any recovered items can be irrefutably linked back to their owner.

The Isle of Wight Community Safety Partnership, which introduced SmartWater to the island in 2008, has given advice to sailors at a number of harbours on crime prevention tools and techniques designed to deter thieves, and protect valuable property on board boats.

Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Mike Thornton from the West Wight Safer Neighbourhoods team said: “We were pleased with all the interest expressed by boat owners during Saturday’s event. Police are keen to work with the community at every opportunity so we can raise awareness of how to prevent and solve crime. The support of Yarmouth Harbour Commission is greatly appreciated in helping to send out a clear message that crime against the marine community will not be tolerated on our island.”

Sailors visiting Yarmouth Harbour on Saturday included Terence Kelsey of Yarmouth and Alan Warner of Wimborne in Dorset.

Mr Kelsey said:  “I’m aware some thieves steal to order because of the valuable equipment stored on board. Crime prevention ideas like this are great and I know my boat now has extra security.”

Mr Warner said:  “I was already familiar with how SmartWater works, and I believe it does deter people from taking things from boats because they know the items can be traced, especially if they try to sell them second hand.”