Lead Theft: Making heavy work of it

Lead theft is hard work and can make many thieves break a sweat. SelectaDNA Grease makes lead thieves think twice before exerting themselves

You've seen the movie "The Italian Job". Picture the final scene in the Italian Alps with the Bus tipping precarioulsy over the edge. Hundreds of gold bricks are about to slide down the bus and fall out of the open doors. Michael Caine can do nothing but watch as the final credits role.

Well, it's not just gold that is worth stealing now - lead is too. Lead might not have gold's beautiful lustre or be quite as valuable , but it's price has almost doubled in the last twelve months, quadrupled in the last four. Demand is on the increase and with it lead theft.

Nobody is immune - home owners, schools, colleges and churches. Everyone is suffering from this spate - or rather epidemic - and lead thieves are to blame.

Lead theft likely to make thieves sweat

You might never have lifted a gold ingot before, but put yourself in the shoes of these lead thieves. They are regularly flexing their muscles and literally lifting hundreds of kilos of the stuff in their midnight heists. The melting point of gold is higher (1,000 degrees v 300 degrees) and the yellow coloured metal is more dense because its atoms are more closely packed together, but don't kid yourself, lead ranks as one of the heaviest metals out there. That makes lifting sheets of stolen lead hard work - even for really strong thieves.

The weight of lead theft

The density of lead is 11.35g per cm3. That equates to 11,350kg per m3 or 25,000 pounds for a lump of lead 1m by 1m by 1m. Given that a typical dustbin is about a tenth of that, we are talking about a full bin of stolen lead weighing in at a wapping 1,000kg or about 10 grown men. That would have been a challenge for even Geoff Capes to lift, and he was the World's strongest man twice during the 80s. It's no wonder why a dustbin with wheels is the favourite moving tool for professional lead thieves - it makes the job of moving their booty to their waiting van that much easier.

SelectaDNA Grease stops lead theft

SelectaDNA Grease allows home owners, schools and churches to permanently protect and mark lead windows, lead piping and lead roofing with a DNA impregnated Outdoor Grease that links Criminals to their crime scene. The DNA contained within every pot of SelectaDNA can be forensically analysed and the results used in a Court of Law for prosecution.

Not only will the DNA grease prove ownership of the stolen lead, if recovered by Police, but it will also link lead thieves to their crime scene. SelectaDNA Grease is practically impossible to remove and remains on skin, hair and clothes for weeks. Thieves hate it and stay away when they know anthing to do with DNA is used as a deterent.

In use since 2005, the range of SelectaDNA forensic products is achieving reductions in burglaries and theft of up to 85%. UK Police Forces use it as a formidable theft deterent. Property marked and protected with DNA becomes too hot to handle and suddenly the second hand value of anything marked with it drops - well, like a lead baloon.

Call Selectamark on 01689 860757 - or fill in our online enquiry form on the Contact page of this website.

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