The methods used to make properties more secure have changed a great deal through the ages.

From digging moats to digital monitors, technological advances mean that systems ever more sophisticated are at our disposal. Tracking the changing trends in this field ranks amongst our most important duties.

In the time that we’ve been in this business (and don’t forget that our company has been around for more than 100 years), there have been some remarkable developments that mean properties, whether domestic or commercial, can be kept more secure than ever before.

One development, in particular, has caught our eye in recent times.

It’s called SmartWater and it is, its inventors claim, ‘the UK’s number one criminal deterrent’.

SmartWater is a liquid that is applied to valuable items (and it can be used on anything, from electronic devices to jewelry) and which identifies them as belonging to you. It’s called forensic tagging and it means that stolen goods can, once recovered, be returned to their rightful owner. It uses similar principles to UV pens but, unlike that method, SmartWater is 100 percent tamper-proof and it can be applied to even the smallest surfaces.

Because SmartWater gives goods a unique forensic code, it couldn’t be easier to match a stolen item to its owner. This means that police forces across the UK love SmartWater, and criminals do not.

These days, police officers check for SmartWater as a matter of routine and, with a 100 percent conviction rate, intruders tend to avoid properties that are known to use it.

This brings us to our point.

You see, we don’t sell SmartWater at this moment in time, but such is its crime-fighting power, we’re thinking about introducing it to our range.

Because we’re full Master Locksmiths Association members, we’ve been offered a special deal, which we’re sure will interest our customers.

For just £25, the SmartWater Home Security Packs include everything that is required to mark valuable items and signage to warn potential intruders that the property is protected.

It is – in our opinion – an extremely cost-effective (and simple) home security measure.

It is something that we’d be delighted to discuss with our customers and all feedback is welcome. If this is something that our customers want, it’s something that we’ll look to introduce. We’re here to provide the products that you need, after all.

Methods are changing, but SmartWater might just prove to be one for the ages.

It looks to us as though this could be a trend that outlives all others.