AT the start of the new university term, officers are using a new initiative to tackle student burglary using a liquid DNA that marks valuables in student houses around Selly Oak.

The initiative will start during Freshers’ Week and will see the liquid DNA distributed across multi-occupancy student houses in Selly Oak. Officers will also be visiting houses in the area to offer crime prevention advice.

The liquid DNA is a substance marked on valuable items such as laptops, iPads and iPhones with a unique barcode that when scanned relates to a corresponding record on a database.

Sergeant Suraya Latif said: “Every year student accommodation, particularly student houses in the Selly Oak area are targeted by burglars.

Selly Oak’s multi-occupancy student houses are often targeted by burglars. It is hoped that the use of the liquid DNA will deter opportunists and help recover stolen items and return them to their rightful owners.

Additional crime prevention advice and reassurance messages will be included in joint ‘all out days’ where officers, The Guild of Students and the fire service all come together to raise awareness among students to help prevent them becoming victims of crime.

“Before the start of the term, we put plans together that tackle this problem to ensure students stay safe and do not become easy targets.

“Through the use of the liquid DNA on top of our year on year student crime prevention advice, we hope that this will help reduce burglary offences in the area this academic year.”

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