UV Forensic Dyes

[DHowie]

The following is a press release on the installation of uv light screens in police stations with a custody facility:

Criminals in Surrey come under the spotlight
New UV lights which will help catch criminals who have been ‘marked’ with forensic dye have been installed in police stations across Surrey.

The permanent devices, under which every detainee will now pass to show if they have been contaminated with any dye, are being unveiled this week at Reigate, Woking, Staines and Guildford custody suites.

UV forensic dyes such as SmartWater, SelectaDNA and RedWeb are increasingly being used by commercial organisations across the UK and built into burglar alarms to form anti-intruder spray systems.

When activated, the spray system will cover offenders and their clothing with a fine liquid dye which is invisible to the naked eye.

When viewed under UV light, these fluorescent dyes glow and the premises or property targeted can be traced through the unique signature that every dye contains.

These spray systems are not only used to deter burglars, but can also be used in police ‘trap vehicles’ to target vehicle crime as well as cash in transit vehicles to target robbery.

UV forensic dyes are also available in a liquid, gel and grease form and can be used as a property marking tool for small domestic items such as electrical goods and jewellery as well as larger industrial items such as lead roofing and copper piping.

Over the coming months the force will be encouraging businesses to use UV forensic spray systems as well as encouraging residents in domestic burglary hotspots to use dye property marking kits.

Surrey Police’s Crime Reduction Advisor Jamie Robinson said: “Criminals do not like the threat that forensic evidence and DNA poses to their activities and these innovative products, which are based on the science of DNA, will act as a huge deterrent to would be offenders of commercial and residential burglaries.

“Although invisible to the naked eye, these dyes can remain on a person’s body or clothes for potentially months so these UV lights can trap offenders who may have thought they had got away with their crime.

“The use of UV lights and the routine screening of all individuals who enter into custody in Surrey will also prove a very useful tool in improving our ability to detect offenders of serious acquisitive crime.”