Crime reduction 

Forensic and ultra-violet marking

Forensic marking

A colourless liquid solution can be applied to your valuable items, including jewellery, ornaments, electrical items and even vehicles. This is forensic marking.

The liquid solution gives your property a chemical ‘code’, which is unique to your items. It cannot be seen by the naked eye and is incredibly difficult to remove. The solution glows under ultraviolet light, allowing the police to detect it.

Criminals are aware of forensic marking – they know that it can forensically link them to a crime, such as theft, robbery and burglary.

Forensic marking providers SelectaDNA (opens new window), Smartwater (opens new window) and Red Web (opens new window) are all accredited by Secured by Design.

Secured by Design (opens new window) is the UK police flagship initiative supporting the principles of ‘designing out crime’ by using effective crime prevention and security standards for a range of applications.

Thames Valley Police does not specifically endorse any of these products. In our view, they are all equally effective.

Ultra-violet marking

Permanent ultra-violet (UV) marker pens are available from most large stationers. The mark is invisible until it is viewed under a UV lamp.

UV marking is effective because the criminal cannot see the marking and will, therefore, not take steps to remove it. UV marking does not affect any resale value, so it is suitable for electrical goods and other items that you may wish to sell.

• Mark antiques and valuable property with a permanent UV marker pen.
• Mark on the most porous area where it is least likely to be handled and exposed to direct sunlight. Sunlight can cause UV marks to fade after about 18 months. Re-do the marking when the UV marks fade.