Oldham Fights Back Against Burglary

POLICE in Greater Manchester are using a new crime prevention tool to reduce burglary in high risk areas of Oldham.
 
The SelectaDNA forensic marking system is being deployed in a residential scheme involving 300 properties in the Greenacres, Waterhead and Clarksfield areas, where break-ins have led to the theft of electrical goods and other valuables such as TVs and jewellery.
 
Car theft has also risen in these areas after burglars have broken into homes to steal car keys.
 
Funded by Oldham Community Safety Services, a local Crime Reduction Partnership, officers from the Oldham Neighbourhood Policing Team will be going door-to-door offering the DNA kits to residents identified as being at higher risk of burglary, including victims of repeat burglary. The officers will show residents how to apply the DNA to their valuables such as laptops, TVs, iPods and jewellery.
SelectaDNA is a liquid form of synthetic DNA which is painted onto items of value so that if they are stolen, police can quickly trace the items back to the owner using a nationwide database.

The system allows anything which is stolen during a break-in and later recovered by police to be directly traced back to the property. It will also link a burglar directly to the crime scene, increasing the chances of a successful conviction.
 
Deterrent signs are being erected on the streets of Oldham to warn off criminals, and residents are being given hi-visibility window stickers to indicate that their homes are protected by SelectaDNA.
 
Police Sergeant Arron Cooper, who is leading the crime reduction initiative said: “We are confident that SelectaDNA can help counter burglary in these particular areas of Oldham. We want to encourage local residents to be more security-conscious and to protect their homes in this simple, but effective way.
 
“We also want to make it as difficult as possible for thieves, so that they know that it is not worth breaking into homes in these areas. Not only do they run the risk of being caught, but if they steal marked items and try to sell them on, they are extremely likely to be caught in the act.”