Residents in West Sussex are being urged to mark their valuable gold jewellery with a forensic code following a spate of burglaries targeting more than 40 Asian households.
Sussex Police are handing out SelectaDNA kits to residents in Crawley to mark their valuable gold jewellery so it is more easily identifiable if it's stolen.
The system uses a forensic code to mark the property and visible stickers alert potential thieves that items within the property are marked, acting as a deterrent. The household and the items are then registered on a database, so if marked property is stolen and recovered it can be returned quickly to its rightful owner.
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.”
She continued: “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.
“I am, however, convinced that by using these kits, together we will make Crawley a more hostile environment for thieves thinking about targeting our town."
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