'Smart Water' protect property, deter thieves!!

[Happy1]

Re: \'Smart Water\' protect property, deter thieves!!

Brendan, its the same old stuff, NO details of where it can be done, NO details of cost, NO details of the organisation that is doing it, am I missing something here /forums/images/icons/wink.gif All I want to do is chat to whoever implants these things to see where it would go, how they would do it (because the boat is built) and how much it would be. I can't find any of that, it is a shambles if it is meant to be so high profile. Someone has done the press release and little esle I think IMHO. I await in anticipation of the info I require.

Still guess the best thing is a dog chip from the vet, may take the boat up to the vet's tonight for an assessment /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

Cheers,

Pete

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>

 

[BrendanS]

Re: \'Smart Water\' protect property, deter thieves!!

I know, but I was responding to DeeGee, who thought it was a database and didn't think that chips were involved

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[andyball]

Re: \'Smart Water\' protect property, deter thieves!!

"....this is invisible to the naked eye which makes it a good deterent...."

How exactly does its invisibility make it a good deterrent?

surely quite the reverse unless you put up notices saying what you've done...in which case just the notices wd work.

Anyone got any figures for how many boats or boat bits end up being suspected as stolen by police & then UV tested some further (presumably microscopic) "conduct a simple on-site test to locate the unique SmartWater Identification Number (SIN)...."


if not many then this is a very expensive gimmick.
Also odd that the search engine at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.forensic.gov.uk/forensic/entry.htm>http://www.forensic.gov.uk/forensic/entry.htm</A> produces no results for smart water, since they're s'posed to know all about it & have invented it etc.

 

[Happy1]

Re: \'Smart Water\' protect property, deter thieves!!

Andy,

Firstly I don't look on it as expensive compared to some crime prevention measures, if you can cover as many pieces as you can. Secondly it is a deterrent if the thief was to know that if he stole something, it could be later identified as being stolen. UV marking of property is a classic example, there has been a lot of property recovered due to the fact that it could be identified, it is also a deterrent to somebody stealing it, that it is identifiable. Thirdly I would suggest that there should be a sign in order to deter people, as they would rather gave something that could not be identified.

I think you have to understand that there will always be thieves, what you have to do is deter them from stealing your property, nothing is full proof as can be seen by car alarms which are overcome, or even the car being taken off on a low loader. You have to make a judgement on what is available, but some people still do not even know or have recorded the serial numbers of property in their home or on their boat, if that is stolen and there are no identifiable marks on it, how would you identify it? Unfortunately so many people don't bother and could not care less as they are insured, that is one of the reasons why premiums have risen. I for one would rather do without the inconvenience of having something stolen and having to prove a loss. I contradict myself slightly in the fact that I have some very expensive high performance cars and made a decision that I would rather not have these expensive tracker systems on them, my thought was that I was not getting enough of a discount from the insurance company for having it, and why should I aid the insurance company at my expense to recover the car, and thirdly if one of my cars are stolen and raced around Britain, I would not want it back.

The simple answer is if you go to a boat jumble and think you identify a piece of your kit, with no serial number you will have a job proving it is yours, with smart water and or even if it is/was UV markable you can. Not all items are UV markable on a permanent basis, that is what makes smart water different, and from the site I see that they are making a marine version. So if you want to do some research, forget smart water results, look at UV marker results, the principle is the same, so I don't really know what on earth you are on about.

False alarm box's outside a house deter many burglaries, so I guess you could just put up stickers saying all your gear is amart watered and hope they go to the next birth /forums/images/icons/wink.gif That is if the thief knows what smart water is, perhaps you would need to simplify the sign.

And so, if you can't be bothered to mark your equipment or note serial numbers on property and it is nicked, then the Police find loads of gear when they arrest someone, with 5 people all identifying your chart plotter or a piece of your engine you know is yours, don't come crying to me. It is your choice, but there are people every minute of the day saying, "I wish I knew my serial number" when that piece of kit is lost or stolen.

As for any unique chip implanted, I have not found the cost for that, but it will only be any use on the one picecit is attached to, and if the tief has a scanner he could cut it out. The smart water seems to be something you can 'spread all over' wherever you please, so if the boat is nicked, you could notify the Police the areas you have smart watered as a way of identifying it. If for example you get a call to say one similar that has been found, or seen by a forum member it would be easy to ID it, even if serial numbers and chips have been removed. £50 for the smartwater for the life of the boat seems not too bad a deal to me, considering the value of the boat. BUT if you are insured would you want it back, that is for you to decide.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>

 

[vyv_cox]

Wish that it were so simple!

I have suffered two significant thefts of boat equipment, both in Wales.

1. I installed a new GPS to my new boat in a boatyard at Porthmadog. The instrument head and the antenna were engraved with my post code in a very prominent way. Arriving at the boat on the following weekend we found it had been broken into. The instrument head and antenna, plus the plugs but not the cables, had been taken. The police could hardly have been less interested and we never heard any more.

2. I left my tender and outboard at Menai Bridge pier when going for a walk and a drink. On return the outboard had been taken. Again, it had my post code engraved in it. It was old and well used and was not locked to the transom. The police were even less interested than they were about the GPS.

My moral is - if they want it, they'll take it, provided the owner makes it relatively easy. All the anti-theft devices on earth won't stop them.

I have had two bicycles stolen here in Holland. One was locked inside a company-provided bicycle shed. The other was locked to a tree in the busiest part of The Hague. The thief cut the lock cable with a bolt cropper. I didn't bother reporting either to the police. Complete waste of my time.

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[Happy1]

Re: Wish that it were so simple!

Exactly, if they want it they will take it, like my example of the car on a low loader. You must have the best deterents that you feel you can afford to employ, you never know how many thieves were deterred by your postcode on the GPS. You never know how many people are deterred by a flashing LED on your boat that is connected to nothing other than a battery.

I guess something is better than nothing, but it is up to each individual to make their choice, they have to live with the consequences if there are any.

Cheers,

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>