Metal Thieves Beware!

Peter Moyes, Director of Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership and Councillor Alex Norris, Portfolio Holder for Area Working, Cleansing and Community Safety for Nottingham City Council, launched the initiative this morning on the Victoria Embankment. The message to metal thieves is clear - there will be no way to profit from theft of the City's property and the penalties will be severe. 

The theft of items, including bins and benches, have a significant impact on the local community with these facilities then becoming unavailable until they are replaced. These thefts are also placing additional strain upon the public purse, with the valuable time of Nottinghamshire Police and Council officers being spent dealing with street furniture theft and sourcing replacements.

Despite representing little or no financial gain to thieves looking to sell on stolen street furniture for scrap, the cost to the public purse is significant. 

SmartWater is now being used to mark metal street furniture with its own forensic signature, so that any items can be traced if stolen. The liquid, which is almost impossible to remove, can only be seen under ultra-violet (UV) light. Regular searches for SmartWater are taking place at scrap yards across Nottinghamshire - meaning thieves face a far greater risk of detection and arrest if they target street furniture marked with SmartWater.

For more information on this initiative please click here.  There will be coverage of the launch on East Midlands Today this evening Thursday 8th December. 

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