SURREY Police are rolling out forensic marking kits to residents, following a worrying 27 per cent rise in burglaries.

A spate of thefts in Haslemere and surrounding area has contributed to increase recorded in the latest crime statistics, exacerbated by a recent spike in offences due to organised criminal gangs.

Changes to the way some crimes are now classified, since April 2017 mean thefts from outbuildings, sheds and garages are now included in the figures of recorded domestic burglary. In a recent clampdown, police arrested four people within 24 hours on suspicion of burglary offences in Waverley and two other men were charged in connection with 37 burglaries across 11 counties.

Beat officers and neighbourhood teams will be handing out in excess of 30,000 free SelectaDNA property marking kits over the next 12 months to those households in hot spot areas.

Additionally, thanks to funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner and money seized from criminals via the Proceeds of Crime Act, the force have been able to purchase more kits to hand out to Surrey’s rural community so residents can mark up expensive machinery and other valuable assets and deter any would-be intruders from stealing their property.

The SelectaDNA packs consist of a bottle of clear liquid which carries its own unique synthetic DNA code which is only visible under ultraviolet light. Marked property is then registered onto a secure police and insurance approved national database, which proves ownership and allows recovered items to be traced back to the owner.

Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner David Munro said: “This is clearly still a worrying statistic but I want to reassure our communities we are fighting back on a number of fronts.

Assistant Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: “I want to reassure the public that burglary is very much a priority for the force. We understand the significant impact having your home burgled has on victims and the increase we have seen in Surrey has been of concern to us. It is for this reason we have had Operation Spearhead running for several months now with dedicated overt and covert officers and staff aimed solely at preventing burglaries and catching offenders and putting them before the courts.”

lIf you have information about suspected criminality in get in touch. via www.surreypolice, or by calling 101.

You can aslo call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.