Property marking

Mark it to keep it - make thieves think twice!

Property Marking is your second line of defence against thieves.

In your living rooms ... bedrooms ... inside or outside your home ... your car ...

How to deter thieves and help to recover your property

Nobody wants to be burgled and lose their valuable property, so property marking has to make sense. It's a way in which you can help us to protect you by deterring burglars and tracing more stolen property. Deter would-be thieves by marking your property with your own Post Code and your house or flat number (or the first two letters of the name of your house). Then, if your property is stolen it will be much easier to trace, as it can be positively identified as yours. If you move, just place an "X" at the end of your old postcode and mark your property again with your new postcode, as described above.

A revolutionary and easy way to mark your property is to use our Unique Searchable Tamperproof stickers. These stickers are all uniquely numbered and are stuck onto items you wish to protect. Details of the item and unique number are added onto our database. These numbers are then searchable on this web site giving instant results should the Police or members of the public come across a marked item. This makes the property very difficult to pass on as anyone can see if that item has been stolen. To purchase these stickers and other unique crime prevention products visit the Your Crimes Shop.

Worth taking? Then it's worth marking!

Take a good look around every room in your home as well as outside in your garage or shed.
Consider all the things you would be sorry to lose or find hard to replace - then mark them.

Remember that anything remotely useful or attractive is re-saleable. For instance, all your electrical and mechanical goods, household appliances, furniture, pictures, ornaments, antiques and silver, in fact anything can be a target of thieves.

Garages and gardens sheds are also at risk. Protect your lawn mower and keep your tools locked up. They may well be used by an intruder to force his way into your home!

Finally, always lock your car no matter where it is parked and Property Mark it and the contents.

Marking is easy

Property Marking is a quick, easy Do-It-Yourself job, and it costs so little. For an outlay of only a few pounds and an hour or so of your time you could be saving yourself a great deal of money, inconvenience and personal anguish.

Permanent marking

Engraving and punching identifies your property for good. Inexpensive tools and kits for the job can be bought from DIY shops and ironmongers. Improvising by scratching to save yourself the outlay is acceptable but might need a little extra care.

Invisible marking

For antiques or other valuable property which might be devalued or spoiled by visible marking, there's an invisible ultra-violet marker. Burglars cannot see it, but if something marked is stolen we can identify it with a special ultra-violet lamp. UV markers are available from most good DIY stores and stationers at around two pounds. It's important to remember that UV marking fades and will need to be renewed every so often.

Four ways of marking

Engraving

with a fine drill or sharp-pointed tool. Use a template or stencil - or simply do it freehand.

UV marking

the invisible method using an ultra-violet pen. Simple to use - but needs renewing periodically.

Punching

With a hammer and a set of punches bearing marking information. Use only on heavier metal - items such as bicycles, mowers or engines.

N.B. Aluminium is easily damaged by punching and should not be marked in this way.

Stickers

Unique Tamperproof stickers make your property virtually worthless as the numbers on the stickers are added to the Your Crimes Serial Number Database where they can be search to see if the item has been stolen. To purchase these stickers and other unique crime prevention products the visit the Your Crimes Shop.

Where to mark your property

Where you mark your property matters - particularly if you are using the engraving method. If you prefer the mark to remain out of sight, you'll obviously choose somewhere behind or underneath the article.

The really important thing to remember is to select a surface that can't be removed without spoiling the basic appearance or performance of the article.

Marking your car

Have your car's registration number etched onto all its windows, either having it done professionally or using a special kit. A thief would then have to replace them, which is expensive and off-putting.

You may also Property Mark your car and its contents with your postcode as described earlier or with our Unique Tamperproof Stickers. Use an ultra-violet pen, or an engraver in a place where a thief will not notice.