Cleobury Mortimer becomes first We Don't Buy Crime town

Cleobury Mortimer hasis to become the first in the country to become totally protected with a state of the art property marking system as part of a new police initiative.

Every household is being visited and has been offered the chance to security mark their property free of charge with SmartWater. This is part of a new We Don't Buy Crime campaign aimed at tackling all forms of acquisitive crime.

Telford-based SmartWater manufactures and supplies cutting-edge forensic marking products which can be used to protect all manner of valuables, business assets and vehicles. Every bottle of the liquid carries a unique forensic code which is registered to a specific address. Once applied it is almost impossible to remove and can only be seen under ultraviolet (UV) light.

Police officers, police cadets, volunteers from Cleobury Crime Reduction Group and representatives from SmartWater have spent today in Cleobury Mortimer delivering the product to people's houses and supporting residents to mark their property.

Sean Thorogood, Chair of Cleobury Mortimer Parish Council, said: "Cleobury Mortimer is to become the first We Don't Buy Crime town in the country, which is a very big deal for our community and a big step to assist in making our community less desirable to criminals."

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Harding said: "The old saying goes that 'prevention is better than the cure' and this is very true for burglary. Until you have been burgled you can't appreciate the impact of someone coming into your property and going through your personal belongings.

"We owe it to the community we serve to constantly strive to improve and look to work in smarter ways as a police force. Having a company with the know how and track record of SmartWater on our doorstep, it made perfect sense to look at how we could work with them to benefit our communities.

"The deal with SmartWater represents fantastic value for money for residents of the Warwickshire and West Mercia policing areas.

"It's not just about being able to return stolen goods to their rightful owner; protecting your property with SmartWater also acts as a huge deterrent to burglars because they know that they and the goods they steal can be linked back to a particular property."