ACTION has been taken to protect plaques
on Hucknall’s precious war memorial from being targeted by metal thieves
looking to cash in.
The value of scrap metal has shot up in
recent years and this has sparked a huge rise in the number of theft offences.
Metal roadside grates have been taken,
lead from churches stolen and even drainpipes from Newstead Abbey pilfered.
Nothing is safe.
That’s why Ashfield District
Council, the War Memorials Trust and Ashfield Memorials Group have joined
forces to ensure that all metal plaques on war memorials within the district
are marked with SmartWater and registered on a database.
The SmartWater is invisible to the eye
but appears when scanned using an ultraviolet light. It is also almost
impossible to remove once marked and can even withstand being burnt.
Plaques on the cenotaph to remember
Hucknall’s war dead in the town’s Titchfield Park have been
treated.
If a plaque now gets stolen and taken to
a scrapyard anywhere in the country, police can locate exactly which one it is
and where it has been stolen from.
Also, a thief who tries to remove
Smartwater risks inadvertently spreading forensic evidence on to their clothes
and any tools. This can be used by police to link a suspect directly to the
crime scene.
Local groups, parish and town councils
across Nottinghamshire are being reminded of the scheme to use this forensic
technology to help reduce the risk of thieves and vandals stealing or damaging
metal from war memorials.
Notts County Council has worked with local
groups since 2006 to fund projects and create 23 war memorials in the county
through its Local Improvement Scheme at a cost of £364,500.
It is estimated that on average one war
memorial a week across the UK is being targeted by thieves intent on stealing
bronze, copper or other metals to sell on for scrap despite the metal having
relatively little monetary value.
Ashfield councillor Warren Nuttall (Lab)
said: “We are very pleased to be involved in this scheme and are doing
all we can to help try to reduce this sort of crime.
“The SmartWater technology is very
impressive and we hope it will help to protect our war memorial plaques.”
Coun Richard Butler (Con), the county
council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “War memorials are
an important focal point in our communities and are a crucial reminder of the
sacrifice of those who lost their lives for their country. It is shameful if
any are stolen.”
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