POLICE believe a sharp fall in burglaries is in the offing. They can feel it in their water.

Smartwater "is a forensic miracle", in the words of Chief Superintendent Tim Madgwick. A liquid with a unique chemical code, it is applied to a window or door, or item of property. If a break-in takes place, the burglar is stained by the Smartwater, and the evidence of his misdeeds will glow under the police's ultraviolet lamp.

Criminals are literally caught red handed. The evidence binds them to the crime so tightly that makers claim a 100 per cent conviction rate. Justice is faster and cheaper as a result.

No wonder it has acted as such an effective deterrent. Nottingham police say the system has cut repeat burglaries by 95 per cent.

It is York's turn to benefit. Officers have a track record in using technology to cut crime: covert surveillance cameras reduced burglaries in South Bank by three-quarters.

And an automatic numberplate recognition system has proved a success against motor offences and the commuter criminal.

Now police hope they have the solution to burglary in a bottle.

The launch of the Smartwater initiative coincides with the presentation of honours to officers who helped capture murderer Mark Hobson. Ultimately this was a triumph of old fashioned methods, as police appeals for public vigilance bore fruit with the phone call which led to Hobson's arrest.

With old and new techniques working against them, this is a tough time to be a criminal in North Yorkshire.

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, September 28, 2005