Innovative technology helps catch criminals
GROUNDBREAKING technology designed to protect against counterfeiting and cash theft has once again proved instrumental in sending violent criminals to prison.
US firm Applied DNA Sciences (APDN), which operates its UK subsidiary out of the Textile Centre of Excellence in Huddersfield, has seen its SigNature DNA product successfully used in sentencing armed robbers.
SigNature DNA is a botanical mark used to authenticate products in a unqiue manner that cannot be copied.
Included in the DNA-dye complex are invisible dyes used by the UK Police to verify DNA-marked notes. SigNature DNA is sprayed onto currency in ATMs or cash transport boxes whenever they are disturbed.
In the last 18 months to product has been identified in around 30 cases and has assisted in more than a dozen convictions.
Last year, APDN announced it had been selected as the sole security platform for a £1m anti-counterfeiting programme based in Yorkshire.
The European Regional Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward funded programme was launched to help protect products from other industries.
APDN is one of four innovative platform technologies chosen to help accelerate Yorkshire’s expertise in areas of growing market demand and economic importance. The other three technologies are not related to security.
More than 25 commercial partners have already been identified and APDN has already begun co-ordinating supply arrangements with several Yorkshire firms including Addmaster and Nilorn UK.
