Crawley officers utilise DNA technology to deter burglary

Crawley Police has teamed up with a forensic firm to assist in the fight against burglary.

Crawley Neighbourhood Policing Team plan on distributing DNA marking kits to residents from identified locations across the borough in a bid to deter criminals and help officers recover stolen property more effectively.

Burglary is often an opportunist crime, which causes misery for those who fall victim to it, and offering these kits is a way to tackle burglary and theft related offences.

This campaign is a warning to offenders that police will use all methods at their disposal to track them down.

Marking your property with a unique DNA identifier is easy to do, does not damage your belongings and can prove beyond doubt that an item is yours.

It comes in a pot of adhesive solution which is applied to any valuable item of property.

Each kit can mark up to 50 items and is almost impossible to remove every trace of DNA. Each trace links criminals to the crimes they commit, acting as a deterrent to offenders looking to commit burglary.

According to statistics, the kits help reduce burglary by 83%.

Inspector David Derrick said: "DNA marked property is of little interest to thieves as they know DNA links them to crimes they commit, and it is impossible to sell on.

"This is a technology-led initiative which I hope will help residents of our community feel safe.

"The public can expect to see posters in the area it is being used to deter potential offenders."