Football hooligans will be targeted with a cutting-edge DNA tagging spray which will stick to them for months, allowing them to be linked to crimes.
A police force has announced it will equip officers at matches with the SelectaDNA mist in a bid to crack down on reports of spiralling supporter disorder.
The spray, a uniquely coded DNA solution, marks skin and clothing with an invisible ink which will show up under UV light and remain present for several months.
Cheshire Constabulary will roll out the new measure to combat anti-social behaviour at games. It will first be used at all League Two matches in the region.
Its introduction follows a successful trial during Crewe Alexandra’s home defeat by Port Vale in March. Crewe’s opening game of the new campaign against Accrington Stanley on Saturday will be the first fixture policed with the spray.
It comes less than a month after damning statistics showed an 18 per cent increase in the number of matches in which disorder was reported in England and Wales.
Football hooligans will be targeted with an invisible DNA tagging spray at matches
The cutting-edge substance marks skin and clothing and will last for several months
It is visible under UV light, allowing officers to trace offenders months after a crime
The spray is also being issued to shops and businesses to help them deter burglars and shoplifters as part of Operation Shield.
Indeed, police are targeting London’s phone snatchers with the same solution.
Officers hope that marking e-bikes, an increasingly popular mode of getaway for marauding robbers, will allow them to track, catch and prosecute suspects.
The innovative method has been introduced in various hotspots around the country, including London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Scotland.
Phone and bag thefts are increasingly blighting the capital, rising by 70 per cent nationally over the last year, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
Electric bikes are frequently used as escape vehicles thanks to their high speeds.
The substance has also been used previously to enforce domestic abuse restraining orders, through use in victims’ homes or by being handed to the victims themselves so they can spray at their abuser if they breach the orders.
Chief Superintendent Gareth Wrigley, who is leading Operation Shield, said: ‘Here at Cheshire Constabulary, we’re committed to doing all that we can to make the county a safer place for everyone, including football fans, and we’ll use all the resources available to us to help achieve our goal.
The rollout comes after a rise in the number of matches in which disorder was reported
SelectaDNA’s spray is almost impossible to wash off (pictured: imagery of the residue)
The police are hopeful the spray will help to prevent hooliganism in and around matches
‘When it comes to football, we already have a number of measures in place to keep fans safe and the DNA tagging kits are just another tool in our belt.
‘Starting from this weekend we’ll be equipping our football officers with the spray whenever they are policing any League One matches in the county.’
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Cheshire police are hopeful the spray will prevent hooliganism, especially if yobs involved in unruly behaviour around matches – particularly in pubs and city centre establishments – are aware the DNA tag will link them back to the scene of a potential crime.
A major part of this effort is the fact the solution is almost impossible to wash off.
Mark Roberts, lead of football policing in England, said: ‘We know the vast majority of football fans are law abiding, but unfortunately on occasions there are some who are intent on causing disorder, which is why a strong policing operation is essential.
‘I’m confident that this new tool will make a real difference, by helping to identify and deter the criminals who attend football matches here in Cheshire.’