Research commissioned by Leicester University gave criminals the opportunity to express their views on crime deterrents. The majority admitted that a hi-tech invisible liquid, which can only be seen under ultra violet light, is the most effective way to stop them in their tracks. Burglars are automatically sprayed with a DNA-style code that lasts for months, linking them directly to a crime scene. The forensic technology is also used to ‘code’ valuables.

The study of over 100 criminals revealed that simply displaying signs that goods and premises were protected by SmartWater was sufficient to put off most of the criminals the team interviewed.

SmartWater was identified as being more effective in deterring experienced criminals than security guards, burglar alarms, ink dye-tags and CCTV. The impact of SmartWater as a criminal deterrent even topped high-visibility police patrols. When scored out of ten by respondents in regard to deterrent value, SmartWater was awarded the highest average score, 8.3.

Overall, the findings indicate that crime reduction strategies using SmartWater products have a strong deterrent effect. In particular, one notable finding of the study was that whilst ‘property marking’ in general acts as a reasonable deterrent, the combination of forensic products which SmartWater uses in its holistic approach increases the deterrent factor substantially.

According to South Yorkshire Police, who assisted with the report, it has used SmartWater within covert operations to trap car thieves, and has secured 24 criminal convictions.