A crime-fighting tool that helps protect homes from burglaries is being rolled out in Cheshire.
The SelectaDNA forensic coding solution is placed inside the home on items such as jewellery, laptops and TVs.
Cheshire Constabulary has invested more than £170,000 into the kits that will be made available to residents and fitted into their homes.
The kits will also act as a deterrent to burglars due to their invisibility when marking skin and clothing once the item is touched.
When the burglar is caught officers will use specialist lighting to identify if the offender has been marked by the colourless liquid.
The liquid comes with a DNA code that can link to a specific crime that has been reported.
The code can also be used to identify where property has been stolen from meaning items can be returned to their owners.
Officers from nine of the local policing units will distribute the kits by selecting targeted streets and engaging with residents.
Residents who are provided with a kit will also receive a sticker that can be displayed in their windows.
In the coming weeks street signs informing of the crime fighting tool will be displayed in residential areas across the county.
The rollout of the kits are part of the force's wider Operation Shield initiative.
The operation aims to inform and educate residents on crime prevention advice and deter offenders from committing burglary or serious and acquisitive crime.
Cheshire Constabulary's Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: "We know that burglary is a distressing crime leaving people feeling violated in their own home.
"Therefore we want to do all we can to ensure people feel safe and that offenders are deterred from committing burglary and serious and acquisitive crime in our county.
"This unique tool is one way of doing both.
"Offenders who set out to commit these crimes will run the risk of being marked with the liquid in any of the homes they choose to target. They won't know the liquid is on them and they will find it incredibly difficult to remove, which makes it easier for officers to detect them.
"Over the coming weeks this crime-fighting tool and the wider Operation Shield initiative will become more accessible and visible in communities across the county.
"We hope it acts as a deterrent by creating a hostile environment for offenders choosing to commit crime in Cheshire."
