SelectaDNA Launched Across Southampton to Tackle Retail Crime

SelectaDNA Launched Across Southampton to Tackle Retail Crime 

Retail crime continues to place increasing pressure on businesses, staff and local communities - which is why SelectaDNA is proud to be supporting a new city‑wide rollout of its forensic marking technology across Southampton. 

As part of Operation Predict, an ongoing partnership between Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Southampton City Council and GO! Southampton, SelectaDNA technology is being deployed to help deter shoplifting, disrupt organised retail crime and support positive enforcement outcomes across the city centre.  

Giving retailers a stronger deterrent 

SelectaDNA’s solutions are designed to change offender behaviour by increasing the perceived risk of detection - something that remains critical as retail crime becomes more organised and brazen. 

In Southampton, police officers and city centre security teams have been trained to use SelectaDNA Tagging Spray, a forensic offender‑marking solution that invisibly tags skin, hair and clothing with a unique DNA code at the point of an incident. The marker is only visible under UV light and can remain detectable for months, allowing suspects to be linked back to a specific crime, location and time long after the offence has taken place.  

Alongside offender marking, SelectaDNA Property Marking Kits are also being rolled out by local retailers to protect high‑risk stock. These kits apply an invisible DNA solution and microdots to items, creating a secure forensic link that helps police identify stolen goods and reunite them with their rightful owners - even if visible labels are removed.  

Supporting staff, de-escalating incidents 

Crucially, SelectaDNA solutions are designed to reduce the need for physical intervention, helping retailers protect staff while still supporting effective enforcement. 

By combining visible warning signage with covert forensic marking, retailers can clearly signal that stolen goods are traceable and offenders identifiable - often preventing incidents before they escalate. Where offences do occur, the evidence left behind can significantly strengthen police investigations and prosecution outcomes. 

Proven results through partnership policing 

The Southampton rollout reflects a wider national shift towards evidence‑led retail crime prevention, with SelectaDNA increasingly embedded into police‑led operations targeting organised theft. 

Most recently, SelectaDNA supported the Metropolitan Police Service’s Operation Zoridon, a pan‑London crackdown on organised retail crime that resulted in 32 arrests and nine shop closures across more than 120 sites.  

As part of the operation, SelectaDNA marking kits were supplied to major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co‑op, Holland & Barrett and BP, enabling officers to trace stolen goods back to their source and directly link offenders to crime scenes.  

The operation has since been recognised as best practice by the College of Policing, reinforcing the role forensic marking can play when retailers, police and local authorities work together. 

Building safer retail environments 

Whether supporting city‑wide partnerships like Operation Predict or large‑scale police operations such as Operation Zoridon, SelectaDNA’s focus remains the same: helping retailers deter crime, protect staff and stock, and secure meaningful enforcement outcomes. 

By embedding forensic marking into day‑to‑day retail security, businesses are not only reducing losses - they are actively contributing to safer, more resilient high streets.