FORENSIC DNA liquid is to be used by officers to track down criminals in Warrington.

Cheshire Police has launched Operation Shield to protect properties and businesses in the area by using a liquid to link stolen property and the offender to the crime scene.

Operation Shield uses a forensic liquid containing DNA unique to each property, which will enable members of the public and businesses to adopt forensic marking in homes and premises.

Assistant chief constable Mark Roberts said: "Every year we recover items which we struggle to re-unite with their owners simply because we have no way of knowing who they are.

“With this system your property can be traced back to you quickly and easily even if it is recovered from the other end of the country."

Offenders can also find themselves marked with the forensic liquid, which stays on their hair, skin, and clothes and cannot be washed off.

All offenders will be screened using an ultra violet light in custody.

As part of the campaign we have written to over 350 known offenders to make them aware of the risks to them should they decide to commit crime in Cheshire.