Police in Sheffield launch their latest initiative “Mark Your Metal”

“Mark Your Metal” is the latest scheme to be piloted in several areas across the city to tackle theft of metal items from outside the home. The scheme involves marking metal items with both address and postcode in UV marker, then applying a special sticker over the top to protect the markings. The stickers are a new unique innovative product, designed to help prevent property being stolen or identify stolen items from sheds and gardens. Once the sticker has been applied over the UV markings, they are extremely difficult to remove. Police officers and PCSOs, as part of their daily work will be distributing the stickers to residents and marking their property, such as metal BBQs, garden furniture and ornaments, metal gates and railings, garden tools and bicycles. Details of all marked property will be stored on a database. Officers will also visit scrap metal yards to inform them about the project and advise them to check for markings on any items brought in for payment, and inform the police if any item is found to display a sticker. Officers will then check if the item has been reported stolen. Inspector Jason Booth of South Yorkshire Police said: “We think this is an exciting opportunity to use a new product to mark those items which are stolen off people’s properties often by scrap collectors who don’t have permission. This will allow us to identify those items and give us the opportunity to increase arrests for a crime many in Sheffield feel very angry about” Anyone with any information about metal theft is urged to call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.