Crawley police to hand out property marking kits following burglaries (From The Argus)

Crawley police to hand out property marking kits following burglaries

2:38pm Monday 4th March 2013 in News By Ben James

Officers are to hand out property marking kits following a spate of jewellery thefts.

Police in Crawley will issue SelectaDNA packs in the town and urge residents to mark their valuables.

The system uses a forensic code to identify each item.

Residents will also be given stickers to alert potential thieves that items are marked.

If valuables are stolen the system makes it easier to return items to their owners.

The move comes after a spate of burglaries in the area targeting Asian households.

District commander chief inspector, Justina Beeken, said: "We hope people will use these kits to protect any valuable items they own and that by marking them it will act as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking about stealing them.

"I want to encourage residents to do everything they can to make sure it is as difficult as it can be for thieves to steal from them, and these kits should really help that.

"There has been a spate of burglaries targeting Asian households recently, which I know has made some members of the community feel vulnerable.

“By using these kits, together we will make Crawley a more hostile environment for thieves thinking about targeting our town."

For more information visit: www.sussex.police.uk.