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

Related Content

  • October 13, 2014
    Parkeon and Waysis partner on MPP solutions
    Parking solutions provider Parkeon has joined forces with Waysis, whose Yellowbrick solution is one of the world leaders in mobile parking payment (MPP), to create MPP operation Yellowbrick International. Parkeon’s MPP solution, Whoosh!, has already been adopted by more than 40 cities in France, the UK and the USA.
    Read More
  • March 5, 2013
    Roadflow keeps Bristol’s traffic moving
    Following the successful deployment of two Roadflow mobile bus lane enforcement systems, Bristol City Council in the UK has awarded technology specialist SEA (a Cohort plc company) a new Roadflow contract to install up to ten re-deployable Flexi bus lane enforcement systems in the city over the next three years. According to SEA, local bus operators, whose timetables are adversely affected by traffic congestion on city centre bus routes, have welcomed the use of Roadflow’s cutting edge technology, as it has
    Read More
  • March 24, 2016
    UK city upgrades town centre parking payment
    Stroud District Council in the UK has upgraded its town centre parking with the installation of 32 multi-service, colour screen Parkeon StradaPAL parking terminals. The solar powered machines feature a 7-inchcolour display screen which offers the functionality to enhance the parking solution into a multi-purpose sales and information channel with a ready-made connection to the Parkeon cloud. Nine of the new terminals accept multiple payments, including contactless, with the remainder being coin-only with
    Read More
  • August 28, 2014
    Integrated transport and car parking smartcards for Perth
    Developed by Parkeon engineers in the UK in conjunction with the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia, the SmartParker system enables public transport users in Perth to pay for car parking using their SmartRider smartcards. The new SmartParker system, developed by Parkeon in conjunction with the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia, is in operation at Transperth train stations and card users can now link parking payments to their SmartRider travel smartcards. The machines are alread
    Read More

Highlighted Content