January 5th 2025.
In the ongoing battle against phone snatching, the Metropolitan Police has found a new weapon - tagging sprays. These sprays, provided to the officers in the Waterloo & Southbank Neighbourhood Team, are capable of marking suspects for potentially months after the crime has been committed. This is a significant development as snatch thefts have seen a drastic increase of 150% in the past year alone in London, with a phone being stolen every six minutes.
The spray technology, developed by SelectaDNA, can be aimed and fired at moped offenders by the officers. Upon contact, it leaves a unique synthetic DNA on their bikes, clothing, and even skin, providing undeniable evidence linking them to the crime. According to SelectaDNA, when the police use UV lights on the suspects or their stained clothing, the liquid shows up as a clear fluorescent blue, making it easily recognizable.
The officers are hopeful that the identifiable spray will act as a deterrent for potential phone thieves. Moped riders, who are often the perpetrators of these crimes, can now be marked with the spray even after they have snatched a pedestrian's phone. Thanks to the funding secured by the Waterloo & Southbank Neighbourhood Team from a Home Office project, these spray guns are now in their possession.
The X account for north west Lambeth, belonging to the Met Police, stated that this initiative is a part of their efforts to curb phone snatchings in their area. They plan to use the tagging spray in locations where these incidents occur frequently. With this technology, they will be able to mark suspects with a unique identifiable liquid that can stain their skin and clothes, making it easier to link them to the crime.
Apart from aiding in the identification of suspects, the new spray technology can also assist police dogs in tracking down criminals. SelectaDNA has partnered with Search Dogs UK, training their search dogs to detect the forensic markers, enabling them to assist other police forces in the UK. The Met Police has been increasingly focusing on the issue of rising phone thefts, and in November, a man and two teenage boys were sentenced for their involvement in snatchings worth over £20,000.
Utilizing these seized phones, the officers aim to catch more moped offenders. Commander Owain Richards, who leads the mobile phone theft division in London, emphasized the impact of this crime on its victims and the commitment of the police to make the city safer. He further added that they are utilizing data and technology to track stolen items, targeting the offenders. They are also working closely with phone companies to make it harder for stolen phones to be resold, ultimately dismantling the criminal market that fuels these thefts. He encouraged people to report any such incident as soon as possible, allowing the officers to take swift action and investigate.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
