POLICE are distributing ‘DNA’ marking kits to farms in York and North Yorkshire in a bid to deter criminals and help them recover stolen property.

North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force brought the SelectaDNA kits in following a 65 per cent increase in trailer thefts in North Yorkshire.

There were 104 trailers stolen in the county between February 2023 and February 2024, compared to 63 thefts in the prior year.

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The force said it appeared that offenders typically travel in vehicles capable of towing trailers, and cut chains, locks and gates to enter caravan sites, farms and outbuildings.

A spokesperson said that the marking solution will last at least five years outdoors, and, when analysed, reveals a unique code that irrefutably links property with its rightful owner.

'The unique marking will help us build a strong case'

Sergeant David Lund, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force, said: “As well as ourselves, Neighbourhood Policing Teams and specialist units regularly patrol rural areas, paying particular attention to the border with other counties.

“This means criminals will find it extremely difficult to get in and out of our area undetected.

“However, should the worst happen, and criminals do manage to get away with stolen property, they’ll know that it is now highly likely to be coated with SelectaDNA or some other forensic marking system.

“That means it will effectively be ‘too hot to handle’.

"Anyone trying to sell it or move it elsewhere runs a high risk of being caught – and the unique marking will help us build a strong case against them in court.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “Valuable property such as trailers, quad bikes and GPS systems on the region’s farms will be marked with an invisible solution that will deter criminals, and help police recover stolen property.

“Some farmers will be provided with kits directly by Rural Task Force officers and staff, particularly those vulnerable to rural crime due to their location or other factors.

“Kits will also be shared via local Rural Watch schemes, and available for free at drop-in sessions, including at agricultural retailers.

“Officers will explain how the system works and help register it.”

The first of these sessions will be at Ripon Farm Services in Dallamires Lane, Ripon, between 10am and 2pm on Monday May 13.