Todmorden (Halifax) |
| Scheme: |
Property coding |
| Date of Launch: |
October 2004 |
| Where was it introduced: |
Homes |
“Since the introduction
of SmartWater there has been an 84% drop in domestic burglary”
Todmorden News, 25/02/05
Click each headline to view the full PDF of the article
Following the success of the Calderdale school property coding
scheme introduced in July 2004, additional funding was secured
to introduce SmartWater to residential areas in October 2004.
Officers from Todmorden’s Burglary Reduction Unit initially
distributed leaflet information to encourage take-up, and
installed warning signs on lampposts, warning thieves of the
presence of SmartWater.
A total of 4,000 SmartWater kits were issued to residents
in the area, and uniformed police officers visited residents
to assist with their property coding. This exercise also acted
as a powerful PR initiative – giving officers the chance
to spend quality time with members of the community and offer
additional crime prevention advice. The results were nothing
short of phenomenal – during the first 4 months of the
scheme, from October 2004 to the end of January 2005 there
were a total of 24 reported burglaries in Todmorden, compared
to 152 during the same period the previous year – an
84% reduction. The scale of the campaign’s success prompted
extensive media coverage praising the introduction of SmartWater
to the area.
"Police have installed warning
signs on many of the town’s lampposts carrying a blunt
warning to thieves that SmartWater is in the area. Todmorden
is the only town in Calderdale where this revolutionary scheme
is operating."
Todmorden News, 26/11/04
"I am delighted that there has
been such a large reduction in domestic burglaries since the
introduction of SmartWater."
Chris McCafferty MP, Calder Valley
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