THE WHOLE of Rubery could soon become a SmartWater village after a campaign involving the police, local councillor Peter McDonald and the Neighbourhood Watch.
Coun McDonald put in £4,000 from his county council divisional funds and West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion contributed £5,000, meaning there is now enough of the high-tech liquid for everyone in the area for free.
SmartWater will be available for people to collect from the village’s library from 10am to 2pm tomorrow (Saturday).
SmartWater is a high-tech liquid which has a unique chemical code to every bottle, similar to DNA, and is only visible under UV light.
Residents mark their valuables with the water and if stolen they can be returned to the rightful owner once the individual code is checked against a database.
Such is the reliability of SmartWater, if a thief or someone who has handled stolen goods has the liquid on them, it can be used as evidence as part of the criminal case against them and has led to convictions in the past.
Signs warning potential thieves can also be put on lamp posts in areas and stickers in front and back windows of homes, warning the criminals of the risks they are taking by targeting the properties.
Statistics show that typically in SmartWater areas, crime, such as burglary and thefts, drops by 74 per cent.
Jim Duggan, chairman of the Rubery Neighbourhood Watch, said: “We have been pushing for us to become a SmartWater village for some time now so this is exceptional news.
“I hope everyone now takes up the offer.”
Coun McDonald said prevention was better than cure in the fight against crime.
“SmartWater has established track record for detecting and deterring criminal activity.”
