Christmas Crime Crackers

Using your UV security marker pen

Security-marking and registering your property can help to deter thieves as well as increase the chance of the police being able to return your items if they are lost or stolen.

Mark it

The pen in your cracker uses ink that can only be seen under an ultra violet (UV) lamp, but there are other methods you can use to mark your property including etching or engraving, forensic marking solutions such as synthetic DNA and chemical marking, and microdots.

With marking methods that involve writing on the property, you should note your postcode and then either your house or flat number, or the first three letters of your address if you don’t have a number.

For example, Merseyside Police Headquarters is at 15 Cazneau Street, Liverpool  L3 3AN. So, the property marking would read “L3 3AN 15” – that’s the postcode and the number of the street.

A limitation to using UV marking is that the ink may fade in the sun, so if you mark an item that is exposed to sunlight regularly, you should consider re-marking it every 6 months to ensure it can still be read. Choose an area on the item that is not often handled so that the marking doesn’t fade, for example the back of a games console or inside your mobile phone underneath the battery.

If you are considering marking high-value items such as jewellery and antiques, we recommend that you seek specialist advice.

For information on police-approved marking products, visit the Secured by Design website.

Register it

Register your property for free on Immobilise – it helps the police identify the owners of recovered property. You can register anything that has a serial number.

You can also mark and register your bike using products by BikeRegister, The National Cycle Database. Look out for bike marking events run by your local Neighbourhood Policing Team throughout Merseyside.

Remember to take photographs and keep documents like receipts related to your property so you can prove ownership.

Please refer to our national advice pages on how you can stay safe during the festive period.