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James Bond technology |
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Manchester churches to use ‘James Bond’ technology to combat metal theft epidemic
A revolutionary new product that gives metal a secret 'DNA fingerprint' is being sent to parishes across Greater Manchester to help deter the theft of lead from church roofs.
SmartWater is a non-hazardous liquid which contains a DNA-style forensic code. Each church will receive its own unique SmartWater code meaning marked items can be irrefutably traced back to the owner, and criminals coming into contact with SmartWater can be linked with the crime scene. The solution is invisible under normal light, but glows brightly under UV light making it easily identifiable by the police.
Greater Manchester claims In 2005 there were 5 metal theft claims worth £7,000 in the Greater Manchester area. Already, this year, churches in area have made nearly 110 claims for theft of mainly lead from roofs. The total cost of these claims is likely to exceed £250,000.
The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCollough, said: "This is great news for nearly everyone and bad news for metal thieves. Church buildings are at the heart of many communities, visited by the majority of the population for a whole range of reasons during a year. It is right that we protect our heritage and public buildings.”
National figures Ecclesiastical has received more than 1,800 claims nationally at a cost of more than £5.8m for the theft of mainly lead from church roofs, as well as other items from within the churches. The scrap metal itself holds relatively little financial reward for the thieves, however the break-ins and thefts are causing substantial damage to buildings resulting in repair bills of tens of thousands of pounds.
Ecclesiastical is helping churches in Manchester to use SmartWater in several ways:
To mark large sections of lead roofs and other precious metals To mark individual items of property In spray systems set up to catch metal thieves as part of co-ordinated covert operations with the police service
A free sample of SmartWater will be sent to every Anglican church in the country Ecclesiastical insures*, and further supplies will be made available at a discounted price.
Ecclesiastical is also working closely with police forces to target scrap dealers in particular. Police will be raising the profile of SmartWater among scrap dealers to ensure they refuse to accept lead stolen from church roofs.
Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester are the hardest-hit areas of the country, suffering more than 400 claims between them already this year.
Ecclesiastical’s managing director for UK and Ireland, Steve Wood, said: “The theft of metals from churches has gone on long enough. We’re planning to put a stop to it once and for all with a high-tech security measure proven to get results. Churches are important community buildings and beautiful heritage buildings. We simply can’t stand by while they’re attacked in this way. But with SmartWater in use, any thief considering stealing metals from a church in the near future should think twice.”
CEO of SmartWater, Phil Cleary, said: “We are pleased that Ecclesiastical has decided to deploy SmartWater as a deterrent to further metal thefts. SmartWater is currently used, in a variety of forms, by 95% of UK police forces. The use of SmartWater has to date resulted in over 400 convictions and in many of these instances the cases have not even gone to trial owing to the indisputable nature of the evidence.”
Ecclesiastical has been recommending a wide range of security measures to combat metal thefts for some time: Make friends with your neighbours – they’re the very best people to keep an eye out. Consider anti-climb paint, CCTV, intruder alarms or security lighting if your church is particularly at risk. Restrict vehicle access and remove ladders – make the thieves’ job harder. Where possible, replace with less expensive materials to make sure there’s no incentive for the thieves to re-visit (The replacement of stolen roof material will require faculty approval. A change of materials may also require consultation with English Heritage on a listed church building, and planning permission if it affects the external appearance.)
Guidance notes for churches about metal thefts are available at: www.ecclesiastical.com/theftofmetal
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