Marked Property Is Safe Property Says Crime Prevention Products

The Met Police recommends property marking as an easy deterrent against criminals, as well as a simple way to help them catch a culprit. Respected security providers such as Crime Prevention Products also recommend this affordable yet effective measure to help people guard against burglary.

Property marking is an excellent and highly affordable way to safeguard items. What's more, it would be a great deal harder to pawn stolen goods if they're marked. These days, leading security providers supply not only UV pens, but UV lamps that were previously only at the disposal of the police to catch criminals in the act. This includes keychain UV lamps or small handheld UV torches for added convenience.

Loss prevention and recovery is made much simpler with UV property marking. This method has been in use for some time now when it comes to detecting counterfeit money. The principle on which ultraviolet lamps and ink work is that light is split along a scale called the 'light spectrum'. Visible light is in the middle of the scale, while light that is undetectable to the human eye such as are infrared light and x-rays lie at the end of the spectrum. UV lighting falls between visible light and x-rays. When subjected to the light of a UV lamp, many materials naturally glow.

By marking money or possessions with a UV pen, they won't get visibly damaged but will fluoresce when exposed to the light of a UV Lamp. Apart from this advantage, by placing stickers in premises that notify would-be thieves that property marking is in place, they won't be sure which items are marked and will have to assume that every item is covered.

The main thing to remember when marking property however is that UV ink can fade with time, especially when exposed to sunlight. It can also be washed off easily. For this reason, effective property marking entails consistent maintenance – a renewal mark is preferable for guaranteed effectiveness every two years. It's also good to bear in mind that the items should ideally be marked in places where they're not cleaned regularly, such as on their under-side or base. A further tip is that it's not advisable to use a UV pen on the reverse side of canvas or paper as it will bleed through.

Speaking about the benefits of property marking, owner of Crime Prevention Products, Terry Rattee, commented: "A UV pen is one of the cheapest and easiest ways for people to guard against theft. If your items or cash have this deterrent, not only are criminals less likely to be able to sell them, you also give the justice system a boost in recovering your them, since the police then have solid proof of stolen goods. We agree whole heartedly with the Met Police in advising people to take a minute to put their mark on their property."