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Supermarket security guards to be armed with forensic spray to deter shoplifting
The Co-op will be the first to introduce it but insisted it is meant as a deterrent and would only be used in extreme cases
27 April 2021 • 6:00pm
The spray comes with a forensic tag
Credit: SmartWater Group
Supermarket security guards will be armed with “smart water” to tag shoplifters, in bid to defuse violent incidents .
Co-op has announced it will be the first major supermarket to see its security equipped with “hand-held forensic spray” which it says is designed to deter attacks on frontline workers and curb “rising” levels of violent crime.
Trials of the tool are shown to calm potentially violent incidents and stop them from escalating
Co-op security guards are being armed with handheld sprays to mark suspected criminals with difficult-to-remove invisible paint that shows up under UV light.
The primary use of SmartTag SmartWater is as a deterrent, with trials of the tool shown to calm potentially violent incidents, and stop them from escalating. In the “most extreme circumstances” violent offenders will be sprayed, providing evidence for police to later act upon.
The SmartWater will be used by Co-op’s Mitie-employed security officers in around 400 stores, and moved to different locations based on need and “latest intelligence”.
Co-op to roll-out hand-held forensic spray to deter attacks Print
Co-op has become the first food retailer to employ security officers equipped with a new forensic spray.
The move will see Mitie security officers specially trained in the use of the handheld spray, containing a SmartWater forensic signature, which is compliant with the requirements of the government’s Forensic Science Regulator and is admissible as evidence in court.
Trials in South Yorkshire have already shown SmartTag to calm potentially violent incidents and stop them from escalating.
Detective superintendent, Lee Berry, said: “Our aim was to create a deterrent for door staff to diffuse violent incidents before they escalated. Over 100 canisters were deployed across the county following a successful trial in Sheffield. We received great feedback from security staff who said they had diffused situations by warning those involved that they would be forensically marked.”