Every year, Durham Police recover hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stolen property from the hands of criminals, but all too often there is no way of identifying its rightful owners. Being able to trace the ownership of the property not only helps people get the property back, but it can also provide evidence that is vital in securing convictions. PCVC Ron Hogg has invested in a top-of-therange “dot peen” property marking machine for Durham Constabulary, and is offering the service free to residents across County Durham and Darlington. WHAT IS DOT PEEN? Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbidetipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent unique number. The unique number will be entered onto the national Immobilise property register database, vastly increasing the chances that it will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.
Dot peen machines can mark at a speed of two characters per second, to an accuracy of 0.006mm, and can be used on everything from steel and aluminium to plastic. Which of my property items can Dot Peen mark? It can be used in farms, on garage and garden tools, power tools, computers and electrical devices, mobile phones and tablets, equestrian tack, golf clubs, gaming equipment such as the Playstation and Xbox, musical instrument cases, cycles – and much more! While other methods of property marking, such as UV marker pens or forensicallycoded liquid, can also be very effective in reuniting property with its rightful owners, the visual deterrent of a permanently marked serial number alone could be enough to deter would-be thieves. How can I get my property marked? You can keep an eye out for upcoming dates of dropin sessions on the Durham Police Twitter account: @DurhamPolice, on the Durham Constabulary Facebook page. Contact your Local Neighbourhood Team to request a visit. Once your property is marked it will be put on the www.immobilise.com/
