Property Marking
In light of a couple of recent thefts of equipment from the allotments the police have issued some advice about property marking :
There are a number of ways of security marking your valuables to protect them against theft and assist the police to return them to you if they have been stolen and recovered.
These include:
Ultra violet (UV) or invisible marking – UV pens put an invisible mark on your property that can only be seen under UV light.
Engraving or etching – Both methods are suitable for many hard surfaces and can be done using an electric engraving tool or hand engraver.
Ceramic marking – Ceramic marking pens are designed to mark china, glass or glazed surfaces. They do not cut or scratch the surface but do leave a permanent mark.
Forensic marking solutions – These are harmless solutions that contain a unique forensic code (like a fingerprint), making it easy to identify marked items. There are a number of firms that provide these marking solutions, but one includes Smartwater
We suggest you mark for valuables with your postcode and your name. For example, the item may be stolen from Eye, but this does not mean that it is necessarily going to be located in Suffolk or Norfolk.
We also recommend that you take colour photographs of any items that you do not want to mark, paying special attention to any distinguishing marks such as initials or crests.
Photographs should be taken against a plain background and include a ruler to give an idea of size.