20K SelectaDNA Kits for 'Safer Streets'

Thirty-five Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have received funding from a £25 million scheme to crack down on burglary and theft in crime hotspots.

The Safer Streets Fund forms part of the UK government’s concerted action to tackle crime and aims to stop offences that blight communities and cause misery to victims from happening in the first place. 

Following a bidding process, grants of up to £550,000 were awarded to PCCs in England and Wales for projects and products to improve security in areas particularly affected by acquisitive crimes such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

The money is being spent on measures proven to cut crime including the use of more than 20,000 SelectaDNA property marking kits to deter burglary, locked gates around alleyways, increased street-lighting and the installation of CCTV. The funding will also be used to train community wardens, deliver local crime prevention advice to residents and establish 
Neighbourhood Watch schemes.

In South Wales, police and dedicated volunteers have been delivering 3,500 SelectaDNA kits door-to-door in Merthyr as part of Operation Penderyn. They have spent nearly 650 hours working on the project so far to help deter burglary in the area and keep the local community safe.

Home Secretary, Priti Patel said: “I will not stand by while criminals inflict fear and misery on our communities. That is why I set up this fund to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent people falling victim to these crimes.”

Crime and Policing Minister, Kit Malthouse said: “Persistent street crime and burglary have a corrosive effect on neighbourhoods, leaving people apprehensive about leaving their homes, and afraid of what they might encounter when they return.”

Acquisitive offences are the crimes that the public are most likely to encounter, and they are estimated to cost society billions of pounds every year.

There is strong evidence that these crimes can be prevented by tactics that either remove opportunities to commit crime or act as a deterrent by increasing the chances of an offender being caught. SelectaDNA property marking kits have been proven to reduce residential burglary by up to 83%. Residents can use the kits to mark any valuable household items they have such as TVs, laptops and mobile phones to deter theft in the first instance and so that they are traceable back to the owner if stolen.