Smart watertight evidence system

A high-tech archway is helping Lancashire officers outsmart criminals being brought into Lancaster’s police cells.

On arriving at the station offenders are walked through a corridor kitted out with the UV device, which scans them for SmartWater traces.

Many businesses now mark their property with SmartWater, or have devices that can surreptitiously spray the substance during a breakin or robbery.

SmartWater contains a unique forensic code, similar to DNA, that can pinpoint an offender to a specific crime.

It is invisible to the naked eye but can be seen under ultraviolet lighting.

Inspector Dave Hayes, pictured under the UV lighting, said: “There are two benefits to using the Smart-Water arch. As the substance is so hard to wash away, it is easy for us to tell if the offender has been involved in a crime and we can then use the DNA code to link them to that crime.

“The other benefit is that criminals don’t often know if they have been sprayed with SmartWater, so it adds an element of uncertainty for them when they are brought in.”

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