Latest news with #SelectaDNA
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
MSP proposes spraying solution to scooters and e-bike issues in Stirling
The politician is "imploring" Forth Valley police force to use the special tagging spray amid the widespread misuse of off-road bikes and motorcycles. Spraying offenders who misuse motorised bikes with a special liquid could be the answer to a growing issue in Stirling and across the Forth Valley says a local politician. Police need to use SelectaDNA tagging spray in the battle to clamp down on illegal use of off-road bikes, e-bikes, motorcycles and e-scooters says Conservative Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alexander Stewart. Mr Stewart, who lives in Bridge of Allan, is 'imploring' Forth Valley Police to use the sprays amid reports circulating that a number of Police Scotland divisions are successfully using them in the fight against antisocial behaviour. The handheld sprays are designed to be used by officers to target offenders involved in the antisocial and illegal use of motorcycles, and bicycles, including electric bikes. The spray is aimed by officers at bikes, clothing and skin of any riders and passengers with a uniquely-coded but invisible DNA that doesn't wash off and will provide forensic evidence to link them to a specific crime. SelectaDNA Defence Sprays have already been used by Police Scotland to tackle motorcycle crime in Edinburgh. They were deployed to officers as part of Operation Soteria which led to a reduction of 60 per cent in offences. Mr Stewart said: 'The spray's manufacturer, Selectamark Security Systems plc, has been at the forefront of providing world class property marking solutions since 1985. Since that time, Selectamark has helped homeowners, businesses, local authorities and schools protect their property, marking over 30 million valuable items. 'The use of this tagging spray is one more tool that officers will have at their disposal to help detect illegal and antisocial activity associated with motorcycle and bike crime. 'I know this burgeoning issue is one that is of great concern to our communities; I implore our Police Scotland division in Forth Valley to consider adopting this proven method to combat the horrific antisocial behaviour that many of us experience on a daily basis.' Supt Lynsey Kidd said Mr Stewart's correspondence was received on Wednesday and would be responded to directly 'as appropriate'. She added: 'Officers throughout Forth Valley Division work hard to combat antisocial behaviour. We understand such incidents can have negative effect on our local communities. Please be assured that officers carry out regular patrols and additional officers will be directed to wherever such incidents are taking place. 'We also urge parents, guardians and the local community to support us. If you see any type of disorder, or youths congregating and causing a disturbance, please report it to us at the time so we can investigate. If you have any concerns regarding antisocial behaviour, please speak to officers or contact us through 101.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
I joined Met police on a boot sale raid and was shocked by amount of stolen goods
Scores of police officers gathered one early May morning in a Sainsbury's car park in east London. I joined the Sidcup and Old Bexley police teams, which were out in force helping the operation. They were preparing to raid a boot sale where intelligence suggested stolen tools were being sold. Officers invited me as, together with Conservative colleagues, I've been pushing for stronger police action and tougher laws to stop tool theft. With so many boot sales brazenly selling stolen goods and tool theft running rampant in too many places, this is the police action frustrated tradespeople want to see. As officers arrived in police vans and unmarked cars, there was a flurry of action among some traders. Stolen goods were hidden. A van tried to flee. And the keys to vehicles crowded with tools were 'lost'. But the police had struck quickly and in numbers. These unlicensed boot sales are notorious for selling stolen goods, but I was still astounded by the amount officers found. Tables filled with olive oil were a giveaway — shoplifting is rising quickly as food prices increase again under the Labour government. Stolen tools were hidden in thieves' vans and across traders' stalls. Arrests were made, and the team began to identify stolen items and attempt to return them. They even managed to contact one tradesman to return their tools while the raid was ongoing. Eventually, they hit the motherlode with a van crammed with stolen tradesmen's tool bags. The arrests led to other sites where even more tools were found. In the end, officers recovered £500,000 of suspected stolen tools, with some 1,650 seized. Despite this raid's success, the policing challenge is huge. While some tool owners could be identified, criminals will remove many markings, making it difficult to prove that something is stolen and return working people's property. The police message for all tradespeople is simple: mark your tools properly. They are raiding boot sales and clamping down on tool theft. But without proper tool marks, it isn't easy to return your property and lock up the criminals who stole it. Various private companies offer solutions, like SelectaDNA, that work well. Meanwhile, in Parliament, I'm working to toughen up the law to stop tool theft. We're fighting for tougher sentences for tool theft, larger fines to cover the cost of the tools stolen, and a crackdown on boot sales selling stolen items. Sadly, Labour MPs voted down our proposals despite promising action. The Labour government cannot delay any longer. Rampant tool theft is ruining the livelihoods of thousands of people across London. This isn't a small problem; it's growing fast, with a van broken into every 12 minutes. It's not just financially ruinous for working people but also impacts their mental health, leaving some depressed and even suicidal. As this isn't simply about stolen property, tool theft prevents tradespeople from earning a living and providing for their family, forcing them to start again. That's why we must stop tool theft now.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
The fightback against London's phone snatchers: Police target brazen thieves with invisible DNA tagging spray as they warn 'we will catch you'
Police are targeting London 's phone snatchers with invisible DNA tagging spray as Scotland Yard fights back against the brazen thieves. Officers hope that marking e-bikes, an increasingly popular mode of getaway for marauding robbers, will allow them to track, catch and prosecute suspects. They are also spraying riders' clothes and skin with the invisible dye, which contains a unique DNA code only seen under UV light. The substance, known as SelectaDNA, sticks on a target for several months allowing police to link them to a specific theft via thespecial code. The innovative method is being introduced in various hotspots around the country including London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Scotland. Inspector Dan Jones, who leads the Watford neighbourhood policing team in Hertfordshire, told The Telegraph: 'It's another tool in our box of tactics to make it increasingly difficult for criminals to operate. 'The spray will enable us to identify those responsible without the need to engage in risky high-speed pursuits. 'We want this to serve as a warning to those involved – expect a knock on the door, because we will catch up with you. Phone and bag thefts are increasingly blighting the capital and beyond, rising by 70 per cent nationally over the last year and soaring to a 20-year high, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. And electric bikes are frequently used as escape vehicles thanks to their ability to reach high speeds. The pilot of SelectaDNA spray is set to last six months before the results are evaluated. Business owners are also being handed kits in targeted Hertfordshire locations in a bid to protect their equipment and products. The substance has been used previously to enforce domestic abuse restraining orders, through use in victims' homes or by being handed to the victims themselves so they can spray at their abuser if they breach the orders. The Met has also used SelectaDNA in shops to clamp down on shoplifters. It comes after Met Police officers seized more than 1,000 stolen phones and arrested 230 people in a week-long blitz earlier this year. They carried out the targeted operation as the force ramps up its bid to bring an end to the marauding phone thieves who prowl around the city on e-bikes and mopeds. During one arrest in north-east London, a 15-year-old boy riding an illegal e-bike was found with a 'large' knife and £1,000 in cash. An increase in patrols and operations have been carried out in hotspot areas, including the West End and Westminster, where the Met says nearly 40 per cent of phone thefts occur. Officers have used plain-clothes tactics and victims' reports to snare a gang who were caught handling more than 5,000 stolen phones. Over an 18-month period, Zakaria Senadjki, 31, Ahmed Abdelhakim Belhanafi, 25, Nazih Cheraitia, 34, and Riyadh Mamouni, 25, were at the centre of the terrifying trend of gadget grabbing sweeping the capital. Their crimes totalled a whopping £5.1million, an investigation by the Met Police found - with many of the devices believed to have been sold abroad. The four men were all jailed in November last year to a combined total of 18 years behind bars. The fightback appears to be working and, in recent months, 'various operations' deployed by the police force involving monitoring CCTV footage, increasing officers' awareness and 'employing' traffic units and surge teams have brought about a decrease in phone theft. A 27 per cent decrease was recorded in November 2024 while, in an even more promising statistic, a 43 per cent decrease was achieved the following month. 'There's been various operations by different proactive teams specifically towards two-wheel enabled crime,' a video posted by the Met Police on X announced. 'And also just officers on the ground being more aware of it happening and going on the radio. CCTV operators shouting out before they commit offences so we can get the necessary units with the skills down. 'If a phone pings on a certain location of the map, we can plot the route that they're taking and where they end up, and then hopefully find out where those phones are going.' Westminster, London's most affected borough, saw 18,863 reported incidents in 2024 up until December. The Met Police though, insist that 'really, really good' CCTV coverage in the posh London borough will be influential in stopping gangs of thieves snatching devices, 'There's CCTV cameras, one of the things in this borough (Westminster), they're actually really, really good quality and we do have quite a lot of coverage,' the video posted on February 7 continued. 'We employ the use of traffic units and SURGE (Surge and Rapid Response Team) teams and they have high driving skills and the ability to - if there is a high risk - knock them off the bikes. 'Sometimes they (the thieves) do carry large weapons so it's about immediate control of the arms, immediate control of the hands, and making sure you have sufficient units around you to support. 'Between the actual offender doing a snatch, being monitored by CCTV operators and National Police Air Support, in their travels, they are being followed the whole time until police units can catch up and detain them and arrest them.' Last week, Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike revealed she was punched in the face and had her mobile phone snatched violently out of her hand by a 'mugger' on a bicycle. The James Bond actress, 46, spoke of her '15 minutes' of hell when she was targeted by the thief in 2006 as she spoke to her mother while walking down the street. She said she screamed in terror and her mum, Caroline Friend, was left fearing the worst until she was able to call her back on another phone. Rosamund, who starred with Piers Brosnan in Die Another Day (2002), told Magic Radio: 'I was on the phone to my mother — on a mobile phone walking along a road — and I was mugged. 'The phone was snatched so all she heard was me scream and a thud and the phone went dead.' She said the 'mugger' was a kid who sped past her on a bicycle and punched her down the side of her cheek. Rosamund, who was born in London, said the thief took her mobile phone and left her with a bruise on her face. The actress is one of a number of celebs who have fallen victim to the terrifying trend. Former tennis star Annabel Croft said her mobile was stolen 'clean out of her hands' while she waited for a taxi outside London King's Cross station in June last year. Ms Croft wrote on Instagram: 'I just wanted to warn people who are on their own in London. I just got mugged waiting for a taxi outside King's Cross St Pancreas. 'The man was riding a bike and wearing a black balaclava. He rode straight at me and took my phone clean out of my hands. 'He rode away with it but luckily dropped my phone so I got it back. Terrifying!' Meanwhile, TV presenter Kym Marsh also had her phone swiped from her hand on a London street in March. Speaking to her co-host Gethin Jones on BBC's Morning Live, she said: 'It is quite a scary thing to happen to you, you're walking down a road and then all of a sudden something's taken out of your hand. 'And that was about a fortnight ago that was taken from me. But thankfully I was okay.'
Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway police given new weapon in fight against antisocial behaviour
Police in Dumfries and Galloway are being given a new weapon in the fight against antisocial behaviour. Officers in the region are now able to use SelectaDNA's tagging spray in a bid to clamp down on the illegal use of off road bikes, motorcycles and e-scooters. Cops can aim the spray at bikes, clothing and the skin of any riders or passenger. It contains a unique but invisible DNA, which can provide forensic evidence to link people to a particular crime. The spray is a fine mist and doesn't cause any damage – but it also doesn't wash off surfaces. Problems with bikes, motorbikes and e-scooters have been reported in Annan, Lockerbie and Dumfries. Sergeant Callum Dalgleish-Little said: 'We know that antisocial behaviour particularly in residential areas, public parks, and cycle paths, is concerning for local communities. This spray will help officers have another tool at their disposal to detect and deter such criminality. 'The spray is deployed by trained officers and can be used on bikes we believe to be stolen or ridden illegally. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. 'If you have any information regards anti-social behaviour, the use of such vehicles in residential areas or in circumstances that cause concerns, please contact Police Scotland on 101 or you can provide information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'
Daily Record
18-05-2025
- Daily Record
Tagging spray used by police in Motherwell to combat off-road bike crime
The handheld tagging spray is a very fine mist that can be aimed at bikes, clothing and the skin of riders and passengers of motorcycles and electric bikes. SelectaDNA tagging spray is being used by police officers in the Bellshill and Motherwell area are as part of ongoing work to combat anti-social behaviour connected with off road bikes. The handheld tagging spray is a very fine mist that can be aimed at bikes, clothing and the skin of riders and passengers of motorcycles and electric bikes. It does not cause any harm or damage and does not wash off so over time it can help provide a forensic link to offenders through a uniquely coded invisible DNA mark that can only be seen under a UV light. Inspector Jim McLuskey, of the Community Policing Team, said: 'Like many places around the country there are concerns about anti-social behaviour associated with various types of bikes that cause danger to the riders and the public in the vicinity. 'This handheld spray is another tool that officers can use to help detect illegal and anti-social activity of this kind. 'Officers will continue to carry out robust targeted patrols and work with partner agencies to educate the public about this type of activity. Anyone with concerns or information should report it to police via 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'
