What’s Next For Jewellers?

High street jewellers and luxury brands are fighting back against rising crime by installing a hi-tech security system that douses fleeing robbers with an invisible, synthetic DNA solution. 

Designed as a deterrent to robbery and smash and grab raids, the SelectaDNA Intruder Spray system contains a forensic solution unique to each location. This means that criminals can be linked to the scene of a crime. 

Consisting of spray heads that can be fitted above windows and doors of premises, the system is triggered as an intruder enters the property. The system emits a fine mist of DNA solution onto the offender that stays on the skin for weeks and is only visible under an ultraviolet light. 

Chanel, one of the world’s top fashion names that also produces a range of fine jewellery, has had the spray fitted at two London stores following attempted smash & grab raids. Hi-vis deterrent warning signage is being used on the boutique’s windows to indicate that the spray is installed. 

Luxury retailer Louis Vuitton, which produces fashion jewellery alongside its’ trademark luggage range, is also using the spray. The company has deployed the hi-tech spray system to successfully protect delivery areas in depots in the north of England. 

Meanwhile, in downtown New York, Truman Jewellers were the target of a burglary last year. A man walked around the store, reached behind the counter and grabbed merchandise worth thousands of pounds without realising that he’d been tagged with DNA spray. The spray later helped police connect him to the crime after his arrest. 

Also in New York, high-end watchmaker Richard Mille has fitted its store on 57th Street with the spray. A spokesperson for Richard Mille said it learned of the system in Europe and found it to be a “worthwhile addition” to the flagship location in Manhattan.

The same DNA technology is also available as a handheld Defence Spray that is being used by trained security officers to deter robbers at Westfield shopping centre, Harrods in Knightsbridge, and by officers in Business Improvement Districts to protect jewellery stores. 

James Brown, MD of SelectaDNA, said: “DNA handheld sprays give shopkeepers and retailers added protection and peace of mind. If the worst should happen and a robber enters the premises by force, they will be sprayed with the DNA which links them instantly to the crime scene. Criminals really do fear DNA technology more than anything else.”