Marking your property is one of the best ways to protect your home from the risk of theft. When used in conjunction with other security fixtures marked property can put a considerable dent in any thief’s efforts. Whilst marking your property doesn’t function as a deterrent it can play a vital role in retrieving it.

Whilst marking is a good solution for some items around the home it isn’t suitable for everything. Different valuables will benefit more from markings in the right place. You need the mark to be made clearly and in a place where burglars can’t detect or remove it. You also need the mark to be legible so that police officers or any other authenticators can read it in an easy to access part (e.g. On the casing not the components).

When marking your property the main aim is to mark it in a place which renders the item useless if removed. The following methods can be used to mark a range of items around your home.

• UV Ink is otherwise known as invisible ink as it can only be viewed using special lamps. UV ink is a good way of marking valuable property that cannot otherwise be marked. Bear in mind that the ink will eventually fade and will need to be reapplied fairly regularly. UV ink will also wear off rapidly if exposed to constant sunlight. Check the packaging of products for more details. Ceramic Markers are also available to mark pottery, glass and other glazed wares. Ceramic markers don’t cause any surface damage and also don’t need to be reapplied unlike UV inks.
• Electronic marking is a fairly new way of making your property identifiable. Many new electronic appliances with graphical user interfaces allow the owner to enter basic details such as their name and postcode. This information is stored in the memory with a password to restrict editing it. The owner’s details can be displayed for verification easily leaving a trail from any stolen goods.
• Punches can be used to imprint sturdy metal items such as gardening equipment and power tools permanently. Punches are fairly easy to apply using a set of individual metal characters which are hammered into the surface to make a permanent mark. Be certain to make the mark on part of the item which cannot be removed or replaced to ensure its value.
• As well as these do it yourself solutions Marking and Registration Companies can be contacted. Different companies will offer different services usually including semi-permanent and permanent marking services as well as registration options to keep details of your property on file.

A variety of marking kits are available from stationers, hardware shops and security outlets. For further information ask a retailer.