A COUNCILLOR has handed out anti-burglary kits in one of the lowest crime rate areas in the city.

Steve Mackay spent £6,452.50 of taxpayers' cash on 900 SmartWater kits for residents in the St Peter’s area of Worcester.

The money came from his divisional fund - a pot of cash which county councillors can use for local causes.

The SmartWater kits contain traceable liquid that can be poured over valuables in order to retrieve them if they are stolen.

They also come with stickers, which can be displayed in windows to deter would-be burglars.

Cllr Mackay said: "St Peter's is a low crime area and I'd like to see it remain that way by using this initiative.

"It's a great deterrent. Burglars know it's harder to get rid of items if they are marked [with SmartWater].

“I will be rolling out the programme into Battenhall in the coming months."

Cllr Mackay now plans to put up signs in the area to inform criminals that St Peter's is protected by the technology.

The county councillor said the SmartWater packs gave residents 'peace of mind'.

He started handing out the kits in September.

Mr Mackay added: "It's too early to say whether there's been a drop in crime."

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, who part funded the kits, said: "I am really pleased to see take up of this funding increasing.

"We have seen a significant decrease in burglaries across West Mercia since we started rolling out SmartWater, but in some cases, where we have entire towns using it, burglary rates have been known to drop to zero.

“The more we can prevent crime, the fewer people we see becoming victims, and the more we free up our police to tackle other issues.

"The more widely we can increase take up of these measures, the more effective the deterrent is.

“I hope other parts of Worcester will follow the strong local leadership we are seeing in Claines and St Peter's.

"I would suggest local communities contact their local councillors if they feel they would benefit from SmartWater."

Andy Stafford, county councillor for Claines, previously bought 1,000 packs for his division, following a spike in burglaries.