An almost invisible spray used by the police to tag anti-social joyriders is to be trialed for the first time in Aberdeen today.
Officers will carry single-use handheld canisters of a synthetic DNA liquid that can be squirted at offenders from several metres away to leave a unique long-lasting stain.
Perpetrators could later be caught if the chemical is detected when an ultraviolet light (UV) scans suspects in police custody or items associated with them.
The presence of SelectaDNA tagging spray, which is aimed at bicycles, scooters, e-bikes, and motorcycles or the skin and clothing of riders and their passengers, provides an irrefutable forensic link to a specific crime.
Use of it in the north-east comes after concerns about “illegal and antisocial activity” in certain areas of the city, including Seaton, Tillydrone, Northfield, Mastrick and Torry.
The effectiveness of SelectaDNA was first tested by Police Scotland in Edinburgh in 2018 as part of Operation Soteria, a response to the theft and reckless use of motorcycles across the Scottish capital.
It involved the purchase of off-road police bikes and other innovative approaches, including the tagging spray.
Anti-social motorcycle calls to Edinburgh officers fell by 60% between April and June 2018.
New measure is response to communities’ concern about ‘illegal and antisocial activity’
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce, Local Area Commander, Aberdeen City North, told The Press and Journal that local roads policing officers and community policing teams have been trained on the new equipment.
“The use of this tagging spray is another tool officers will have at their disposal to help detect illegal and antisocial activity associated with motorcycle and bike crime,” he said.
“We know that this issue has been a concern for communities, and we’ve had a number of local projects ongoing in a bid to help tackle this over recent months and years.
“SelectaDNA allows officers – without getting close to e-bikes, scooters or motorcycles – to spray people and it marks them so that at a later point we can identify them as having been involved in anti-social behaviour.
“It means that, if we bring someone into custody, they’ll be scanned and we’ll automatically know that that person has been involved in that particular incident.”
Aberdonians who are arrested by the police will be routinely scanned with a UV light in case, unbeknown to them, they’ve been sprayed with SelectaDNA some time in the past.
The liquid is a mixture of invisible synthetic DNA code and a UV marker that can only be seen under ultraviolet light.
The Chief Inspector said that the spray would be carried by police officers “throughout the city” and also “deployed on an intelligence-led basis”.
He explained: “If we’re seeing an issue in a particular area, we might ask officers to carry it there.
“Other areas of the country have seen great results in reductions of crime using SelectaDNA, which was first introduced in Edinburgh in 2018.
“We hope this will be reflected in our communities as we continue to work hard to bring perpetrators to justice.
“I’d ask the public to continue to work with us to help in apprehending those taking part in anti-social behaviour and hold them to account throughout our area.”
If the north-east’s trial of SelectaDNA tagging spray is successful, larger canisters with almost double the current range could be purchased for the region.
“It’s a pilot at the moment. We’re wanting to see if we’re going to get a benefit from it. It is something that I foresee us continuing to have beyond the pilot,” the Chief Inspector added.
Around two dozen canisters are currently available for Aberdeen officers who are authorised to deploy the fine mist onto unsuspecting criminals.
WATCH – a demonstration of how the SelectaDNA tagging spray works:
SelectaDNA is identical in composition to the natural DNA found in every living organism on the planet, meaning the liquid is harmless and won’t damage property.
The use of the crime-fighting substance is as reliable as forensic DNA evidence presented in court because the liquid is unique to its canister with each can’s contents containing a one-of-a-kind chemical code that doesn’t exist anywhere else in nature.
SelectaDNA is extremely resistant to repeated attempts to remove it and can remain on an offender for months by clinging to clothing fibres or sitting in the creases of their skin.
Police officers in the north-east division already use similar products for marking property to deter thieves and detect goods stolen in housebreakings and other rural crimes.
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