Forensic water used to tackle rise in shoplifting

Hundreds of city centre shops are being given forensic liquid to mark items in a bid to deter shoplifters.

Gloucestershire Police is giving SmartWater to businesses in Gloucester as part of a campaign to prevent retail crime which the force said is "on the up".

SmartWater is a clear liquid which leaves a unique mark on an item that can only be seen under ultraviolet (UV) light.

"It has its own barcode attached to it," said Ash Shingler, chief inspector for local policing. "So when we recover that stolen property that property can be scanned with a UV light and traced back to that particular shop."

Gloucestershire Police is targeting 300 shops "over a period of time", Ch Insp Shingler said.

They include Norville Opticians where shoplifting is a "massive problem".

"Obviously it's got the financial burden of people stealing from us and we lose out from that, but also the staff morale problem as well," said director and optometrist Becci Zawadzki.

"I think any form of deterrent to prevent shoplifting is such a big thing, it's such a massive topic within the city centre."

Police are also putting signs up around the city centre to warn criminals that SmartWater is being used.

The scheme is being funded by the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner and Gloucester Business Improvement District (BID).

Emily Gibbon, manager of the BID, said shoplifting in the city is "getting out of hand".

"There's a lot more frequency for it and there are the repeat offenders that we'd like to build a case against," she said.

Embedded within the water is glue which is difficult to remove, and stays on the item for a minimum of five years.

Dave Lewis, police relationship manager for DeterTech, which makes the liquid, said: "The code is made up of trace element metals which are put together in a unique code which is never repeated."

The force has previously used the liquid to protect victims of domestic abuse.

Officers have given cannisters of SmartWater to high-risk victims to spray on perpetrators if they approach them or break their bail conditions.

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