SmartWater deployed to deter thefts from parking machines

The Isle of Wight Council (IWC) in the UK has deployed crime-busting SmartWater traps, following a spate of thefts and vandalism from its 140 ageing Parkeon DG-Series Pay & Display (P&D) machines in the last year.
February 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

The 2047 Isle of Wight Council (IWC) in the UK has deployed crime-busting SmartWater traps, following a spate of thefts and vandalism from its 140 ageing 251 Parkeon DG-Series Pay & Display (P&D) machines in the last year.

Developed by UK-company 245 SmartWater Technology, the traps spray a uniquely coded substance on anyone who illegally tampers with the machines. The harmless substance remains on the person for months and shows up under UV light, thereby matching the suspect to the crime scene. 

A sticker on each machine warns any would-be thief or vandal that SmartWater has been deployed by the Council, which is the first local authority in the UK to protect P&D terminals using the technology.

"Hopefully, the sticker itself will deter thefts but if someone does, nevertheless, attempt to remove the parking meter or get into the cash box, they should be prepared to be sprayed with SmartWater," said Cllr Barry Abraham, IWC cabinet member with responsibility for community safety.

The traps have been deployed in an initiative involving agencies from the IW Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), including the Council and police, along with SmartWater and Parkeon.  Both companies spent time on research and development to create a bespoke trap for the Island’s P&D machines.

“The DG-Series machines were widely recognised as the most secure on the market when they were installed in 1995.  However, our latest machines are even more secure, thanks to the efforts of Parkeon’s dedicated, full-time security team”, explained Bob Barnes, Parkeon’s UK Parking Director in welcoming this initiative.  “We are constantly re-evaluating the challenges that we face from the criminal fraternity and our objective is to be ahead of it at all times.”

Chief Inspector Mark Bell from Hampshire Constabulary stated, "SmartWater can forensically link the culprit to the offence and we welcome the use of the technology to prevent crimes and to help the police to catch and convict any further offenders."

Parking & Access Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Xerox counts on machine vision for high occupancy enforcement
    October 29, 2014
    Machine vision techniques can provide solutions to some of the traffic planners most enduring problems With a high proportion of cars being occupied by the driver alone, one of the easiest, most environmentally friendly and cheapest methods of reducing congestion is to encourage more people to travel in each vehicle. So to persuade people to share rides, high occupancy lanes were devised to prioritise vehicles with (typically) three of more people on board and in some areas these vehicles are exempt from
    Read More
  • Concern over Uber’s vetting processes after US shooting
    February 22, 2016
    The arrest of an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has prompted renewed interest in the company’s driver vetting process. Uber has confirmed that Jason Brian Dalton, accused of injuring two and killing six people over the 20-21 February 2016 weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was an Uber driver who had passed the background checks with no criminal records. The company’s website says that Uber operates an extensive driver screening process which includes collecting detailed information from potential d
    Read More
  • Axis gets on board
    August 30, 2019
    Vision technology provider Axis Communications has set up a camera system for ATrain, which owns and operates rail services – including seven trains and one workshop - between Stockholm and Arlanda Airport. The Arlanda Express trains run on one of the few privately-operated railroad lines in Sweden. The company decided in 2015 to install a camera solution at train stations and depots to monitor flows of travellers, checking signs, elevators and escalators and making sure that the ticket machines are wor
    Read More
  • Parking operators need to learn from Uber
    November 6, 2019
    For parking operators' customers, end of journey may just be start of frustration
    Read More

Highlighted Content