Dance floor used to arrest burglars

Officers in the Wirral are using CCTV camera footage to locate burglars. If the person has entered a premises illegally that has been equipped with SmartWater technology, they are sprayed with an invisible film of water that is invisible to the naked eye, but glows when placed under ultraviolet light that is often used in nightclubs.

Dennis Jones of crime reduction scheme SaferWirral said: “Criminals on Wirral who come into contact with SmartWater are not only identified in our custody suites, but also through CCTV systems patched into nightclubs and venues throughout Wirral as part of the Pubwatch scheme.

“Burglars only need to have a pin head of SmartWater on them to be identified as present at the scene of a crime, and the pattern formed by contact with the substance forensically proves an offender was at the scene of a burglary. We are delighted that pubs and clubs are taking part in this initiative under the Pub Watch scheme.”

SmartWater is a substance that has a unique DNA like fingerprint. No two batches of SmartWater are the same, so the suspected burglar can easily be tracked back to the premises they broke into as the SmartWater on their skin carries the unique fingerprint that police can identify.