A unique crime-fighting tool that helps protect homes from burglaries is being rolled out in Cheshire.

While burglaries were low in the months of lockdown earlier in the year, they are steadily trickling up in Macclesfield as more head out of their homes.

There were seven burglaries reported in Macclesfield Central for September 2021, according to Police.uk data.

So an innovative crime prevention tool has come to our town, which has cost coppers almost 200,000 grand.

The SelectaDNA forensic coding solution is placed inside the home on items such as jewellery, laptops and TVs.

Their kits will act as a deterrent to burglars due to their invisibility when marking skin and clothing once the item is touched.

When the burglar is caught officers will use specialist lighting to identify if the offender has been marked by the colourless liquid.

The liquid comes with a DNA code that can link to a specific crime that has been reported.

The code can also be used to identify where property has been stolen from meaning items can be returned to their owners.

Cheshire Constabulary has invested more than £170,000 into the kits that will be made available to residents and fitted into their homes.

SelectaDNA is a marking system used to prevent crime in businesses and residential buildings.

It combines a unique DNA coding for both the item and offender to help identify them with microdot technology.

Officers from nine of the local policing units, including Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, will distribute the kits by selecting targeted streets and engaging with residents.

Residents who are provided with a kit will also receive a sticker that can be displayed in their windows.

In the coming weeks street signs informing of the crime fighting tool will be displayed in residential areas across the county.

The rollout of the kits are part of the force's wider Operation Shield initiative.

The operation aims to inform and educate residents on crime prevention advice and deter offenders from committing burglary or serious and acquisitive crime.

Cheshire Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: "We know that burglary is a distressing crime leaving people feeling violated in their own home.

"Therefore we want to do all we can to ensure people feel safe and that offenders are deterred from committing burglary and serious and acquisitive crime in our county.

"This unique tool is one way of doing both.

"Offenders who set out to commit these crimes will run the risk of being marked with the liquid in any of the homes they choose to target. They won't know the liquid is on them and they will find it incredibly difficult to remove, which makes it easier for officers to detect them.

"Over the coming weeks this crime-fighting tool and the wider Operation Shield initiative will become more accessible and visible in communities across the county.

"We hope it acts as a deterrent by creating a hostile environment for offenders choosing to commit crime in Cheshire."

You can keep your home safe by closing all doors and windows, anytime you leave the home, keep valuables out of sight and away from smaller entry points like cat flaps or letterboxes.

SelectaDNA added: "There were 490,000 reported burglaries in the UK last year. By using SelectaDNA to mark your property with a unique DNA identifier, we can help you protect your home or business, so that you don't become a victim too."

Cheshire Police also recommend in the evening to shut the curtains and leave lights on, however, this does use a lot of electricity, often unnecessary if there are no people in the room.

But if you do not mind this environmental impact, you can invest in home security technology to have the lights switch on or off when you are not in the house.

For information on crime prevention please visit the Cheshire Police website.

If a crime is taking place please call 999 or pass any information you may have about a burglary by contacting Cheshire Constabulary on 101.

You can contact the police on the latter number if you would like one of the kits in your home.

Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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