Following successful trials with police and security staff in South Yorkshire, SmartTag is now being made available to Security Industry Accredited (SIA) security officers, working in the wider Yorkshire area, in the United Kingdom.
SmartTag
The award-winning forensic scientists at SmartWater Group (SmartWater Technology Limited) created SmartTag, following the increase in attacks on frontline workers, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Each security officer will be equipped with a uniquely formulated hand-held spray for their exclusive use. However, they are required to sit an online training course and pass an examination, before they receive their SmartTag spray.
Protecting frontline workers
The SmartTag-equipped security staff reported an immediate calming effect on potential rowdy incidents
SmartTag is another initiative of the Taming Aggression Group (T.A.G), which is headed by Sir Keith Povey QPM, the purpose of which is to reduce the level of aggression in society. Its first initiative, working with South Yorkshire Police to reduce domestic abuse, was highly successful with a significant reduction in attacks.
During the trial in South Yorkshire, the SmartTag-equipped security staff reported an immediate calming effect on potential rowdy incidents, before they could become violent. Effectively, if an offender is sprayed with SmartTag, they risk being refused entry to any premises equipped with SmartTag detectors and in serious offences, being arrested by the police at a later date.
Diffusing violent incidents
Detective Superintendent, Lee Berry, who launched a pilot, last year with security guards, when at South Yorkshire Police, said “Our aim was to create a deterrent for door staff to diffuse violent incidents before they escalated. Over 100 canisters were deployed across the county, following a successful trial in Sheffield. We received great feedback from door staff, who said they had diffused situations by warning those involved that they would be forensically marked.”
Gary Higgins, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SmartWater said, “SmartWater is a powerful deterrent, as it provides the police with the evidence they need to prosecute and hundreds of criminals are behind bars as a result. The trial in Yorkshire with the police and security staff went very well and we believe that SmartTag will be a standard piece of equipment for all professional SIA accredited security officers.”
SmartWater is the only product of its type that has been independently accredited, as being compliant with the requirements of the Government’s Forensic Science Regulator.