DNA guards village property

Villagers plagued by shed burglaries over recent years are protecting their garden machinery with the latest DNA-type property marking system.

The police and parish council have been working together to encourage Buxted residents to mark their property using the Smartwater system and 90 per cent more than 30 homes of those approached have taken up a police offer to do the work free of charge. The system involves marking items with a powder which can never be removed.

Now signs have been put up in the area to warn potential burglars that the system is in use.

Community policeman PC Richard Hudson said Smartwater was a chemical coding system, similar to DNA profiling, used to mark valuable property in a way which would allow the owners to be identified instantly if it was stolen.

PC Hudson said burglaries from sheds did seem to be lower in Buxted this year than previously but it was too early to say that was a result of the marking.

He was very pleased with interest in the Smartwater initiative. 'I think this is a good example of how the police in partnership with the local community can help to prevent crime,' said PC Hudson.

Parish councillor Alison Crowe said the village had been heavily targeted by burglars over the last couple of years and they were very pleased to take part in this project. 'Anything that might help has got to be worthwhile,' she said.