MARK YOUR PROPERTY AND HELP KEEP THIEVES AT BAY


OFFICERS in the Eastern Area, as well as across the rest of the county, have been kitted out with property-checking UV torches as part of an initiative to crack down on burglars and thieves in Hertfordshire.

As well as the force ensuring officers are equipped with the right tools to check property for UV markings or high-tech fluids like enigmaTAG, residents are also being asked for their help. They are being urged to mark their valuables – televisions, laptops, Sat Navs, DVD players etc - and register them on the free online property database www.immobilise.com. This can help police reunite residents with their valuables if they are lost or stolen, as well as helping police to catch offenders.

Across the Eastern Area, work has been ongoing to increase the number of homes where valuables are property marked. During December, Neighbourhood Officers visited all homes in the Martinswood area of Stevenage delivering the property marking liquid enigmaTAG. Each bottle is unique and therefore traceable back to one property if it were to have been stolen and recovered.

Operation Allow, an initiative with a dedicated team working to prevent and detect burglaries, was launched across the Eastern Area during January. As part of both these projects officers have been working with premises who buy second hand goods to ensure any concerns about those selling stolen goods make contact with the police.

“Some excellent work has taken place across the area to prevent and detect any incidents where items are stolen,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ealham from the Eastern Area Crime Group. “Having UV torches being used not only by officers but businesses as well will prove extremely useful. We also need people to continue marking their property and Neighbourhood Officers will be holding events across the area in coming months to encourage people to do so."

“We want to make it difficult for burglars to profit from your possessions,” said County Crime Reduction Manager Clive Matthews. “Marking your valuables is such a quick and simple way of helping to keep them safe, and there are so many ways to do it –UV pens, marking fluids like enigmaTAG, or by registering the serial number on www.immobilise.com for items you may want to re-sell or don't want to mark overtly, and stickers or marker pens for more obvious markings.

“Burglary levels are low in Hertfordshire, but there is always more we can do. I would urge everybody who reads this to think of five things they'd like to mark and register on www.immobilise.com, and take the time to do it – a few minutes could help save a lot of inconvenience and expense in the future.

“Pass the message on to your friends and family too – every bit of property marked up is another step closer to making Hertfordshire a no-go area for burglars.”