MATLOCK: Crime-fighting kits handed out to residents

PCSO Hayley Grundy, from the Matlock town centre team, has been out to Farley Hill with a number of the special crime prevention packs.

SmartWater is a special fluid that can be painted on to items such as TVs, laptops, phones and even cars. The fluid, which shows up under UV light, contains a unique code that links property to its owner, meaning that if an item is stolen and later recovered, it can be returned quickly.

It is also an effective deterrent to criminals, who know how it works and how it can easily pin them to a crime scene.

PCSO Grundy has already started visiting homes in and around Farley Hill and will be heading out again between now and Tuesday, March 19.

She said: “Our residents live in a relatively crime-free community and we want to make sure it stays like that.

“One way I can help do that is with these kits, which allow people to protect themselves in a really simple way and make sure criminals think twice about targeting them.”

PCSO Grundy has already been out in the Farley Hill area to talk to residents and sign them up to Derbyshire Alert, the free police messaging service used by officers to send short snippets of information about crime prevention, trends and any suspicious activity to be on the watch for.

The SmartWater kits have been provided by the Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership, which is led by the police and Derbyshire Dales District Council.

District Council leader Councillor Lewis Rose OBE, who is also chairman of the Derbyshire Dales Community Safety Partnership, said: “Hundreds of these free SmartWater kits have now been given out in communities across the Dales as we reinforce the message that our district is a safe place to live, work and visit - and we want to keep it that way.”

To find out more, call police on 101 or visit www.derbyshire.police.uk.