DNA marking kits handed out to tackle tool theft

Hundreds of tool marking kits which use DNA tracking technology will be handed out to tradespeople in Sussex to help tackle tool thefts.

About 500 kits, which use an invisible DNA solution to mark tools and machinery, will be given out to people in Brighton in a bid to reduce the prolific rural crime.

The scheme had previously been used to protect farm machinery but will now be rolled out after tradespeople across the South East called for tougher penalties after a spate of reported crimes.

Katy Bourne, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said the kits were an "extra layer of protection acting as a powerful deterrent against theft".

Ms Bourne added: "The kits make stolen tools traceable and harder for criminals to profit in re-seller markets.

"For traders, their tools can be their livelihoods, they often cost thousands of pounds to replace and theft of equipment can leave people out of work."

Kits used in the scheme work by providing an invisible DNA gel which can be used to mark property such as tools and machinery.

The gel dries clear and then can only be identified through ultraviolet light and specialist microscopes, a PCC spokesperson added.

When analysed, the gel marking can then be used to help return the tools to their rightful owners if they are stolen.

In total, 500 of the kits have been funded by the PCC's office in partnership with tradespeople website Checkatrade.

A report by trade publication On The Tools found four in five tradespeople in the UK that were surveyed in the report had experienced tool theft.

Tools often worth thousands of pounds can be stolen from the back of tradespeople's vans, wreaking havoc on traders who are then out of pocket and unable to work.

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