A new scheme to reduce theft of equipment in rural and farming communities has been launched in Hertfordshire.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards has approved extra funding for the Constabulary’s Rural Operational Support Team (ROST) to pilot a property marking project.

The PCC is supplying 200 specialist SelectaDNA forensic marking kits to be distributed free of charge to businesses in targeted rural locations across the county, helping them safeguard their equipment from burglary and acquisitive crime.

Among the first to take part was Hill End Farm, in Hertford Road, Hatfield, where farm manager Peter Allen took part in a demonstration of the technology alongside Mr Ash-Edwards and Sgt Alex Winning.

SelectaDNA is an advanced forensic marking system that provides an invisible yet unique code on valuable property, which can only be seen under ultraviolet light. This allows police to quickly identify stolen items and link criminals to crimes.

The scheme will focus on marking high-value and frequently targeted items such as chainsaws, GPS systems, trailers, tractors, quad bikes, tools, saddles and tack.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said:

“Thefts of farm machinery and equipment are hugely disruptive and costly for local farmers and can leave them unable to plant or harvest crops when they need to. I am delighted to be funding this forensic marking project to deter and tackle crime impacting Hertfordshire’s rural communities.

“This project is the first time this technology has been used in Hertfordshire. It is a prime example of how prevention can be used to reduce crime in the first place as forensic marking and signage on farms has a proven deterrent effect. It will also help the police to return stolen items to their owners and provide evidence for successful prosecutions.

“I look forward to seeing the impact of this project over the coming months and continuing to work with our local farmers and the police to keep rural areas of Hertfordshire safe”.

Rural Operational Support Team Sergeant Alex Winning said:

“It is an innovative new crime prevention method that we are trialling in Hertfordshire for the first time.

“SelectaDNA is a forensic marking kit that combines unique DNA coding with microdot technology, and we are working with farmers and rural communities in the county to mark their property such as plant machinery, GPS systems on tractors, trailers, quad bikes, hand tools or power tools – items that don’t usually have an identifying mark.

“By applying the SelectaDNA, it forensically tags whatever you apply it to and gives it that identifying mark.  This acts as an effective deterrent to thieves, but where items are stolen and recovered, it enables us to identify and return them to the rightful owners.”

In addition to marking equipment, signage will be installed on gateposts and in key locations to act as a crime deterrent. Similar schemes elsewhere, such as in North Yorkshire, have distributed over 8,000 kits, resulting in a one hundred percent reduction in thefts of marked property.

The initiative is being delivered through the Community Safety Budget in partnership with ROST, and supports the forthcoming Police and Crime Plan’s priority to drive down rural crime. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out more widely across Hertfordshire.