Chemical traps — as a means of combating petty theft..
Chemical traps — as a means of combating petty theft.
Dubik Stanislav Nikolaevich,
leading specialist of the KTC «Security Systems»
Security Systems, No. 21, 2001
The problem of petty theft has existed since time immemorial and will probably exist for quite a long time, since the principle «someone else's is always better» is inherent to a greater or lesser extent to every person. And, given the modern polarization of society, when the well-being of some is much higher than that of others, kleptomania has increased significantly. And although technical means of security, surveillance and signaling have enormous capabilities, they cannot protect your wallet from encroachment by an employee sitting next to you. And entangling society in a network of telemonitoring and surveillance is a grim prospect. However, the problem of petty theft of personal and public property does exist, and if there is a problem, then there must be methods for solving it.
In the past, one of the areas in the fight against petty theft was the internal affairs agencies using special chemical substances. These substances were ejected by devices at the offender when they tried to open or take the loaded item without authorization. In this case, the offender was heavily dyed, and the specific property of the dye — to penetrate the pores of the body or the structure of clothing and shoes — made it possible to recognize the offender for a very long time. And even if visible traces of the dye were washed off, they are very clearly visible in ultraviolet rays. Therefore, these devices were called — chemical traps. They are equipped with dyes of several colors or a combination of them, which allows them to be used to mark a certain type of goods or in a specific area. If a person who has come into contact with a chemical trap is detained, it is possible to accurately determine his involvement in a specific crime, even if the kidnapper will remain silent or deny his involvement in the crime. With the help of traps, the kidnapper can often be identified before the theft itself is discovered.
A batch of bottles was treated with a special compound at the wine and vodka production base. After some time, specific stains were found on the hands and clothes of one of the loaders. He could not explain their origin. A more thorough investigation revealed that he had colluded with one of the drivers to whom he delivered the products, and he took them away. The loss could only be discovered a few days later, during a stocktaking. During this time, all traces would naturally have been lost.
Chemical traps, working autonomously, do not require power supply and additional equipment during installation and operation. But when used in combination with a security alarm, an even greater effect is achieved, especially when the thief commits theft «in a jerk».
At night, a thief broke into a small store, broke a display case, and began packing alcohol and food. While looking for money in a desk, he found an attractive box and opened it. The result, literally, was on his face. In a panic, he opened the bottle and began to wash off the dye, as a result of which the dissolved dye heavily stained his face and clothes. In this state, police officers found him when they arrived to hear the alarm. He had committed similar thefts more than once, but due to the remoteness and poor road conditions, security did not have time to detain the thief.
From this it is clear that the integrated use of a chemical trap and an alarm can increase the detection rate of a certain type of crime. Along with providing assistance in protecting material assets at retail facilities, bases, warehouses and utility rooms, there is often a need to protect the personal property of a specific person. Oddly enough, but despite the high technical level, very few means are used to prevent, document and solve thefts of personal property that have already been committed «hot on the heels», which are often committed by employees sitting next to each other. And the reason is not at all that there are no such means, but simply the principle of rationality and expediency comes into force due to their high cost. At the same time, both the psychological trauma and the material damage to the victim are relegated to the background. Chemical traps cope with this task very successfully, which act exclusively on the «thief» or the «curious» employee counting money in someone else's wallet.
In the office of a reputable company, there were several female employees who systematically lost their personal belongings and money, and the amount of money that went missing depended on the amount in their wallets. Considering that the team was female, in addition to money, there were jewelry and expensive cosmetics in the wallets and cosmetic bags. Over time, the thefts became more frequent, and a tense psychological atmosphere was created in the team, full of mutual suspicion and mistrust. Unable to withstand this nervousness and vain accusations against them, several employees quit. During a chance meeting, the head of this company began to complain about the dismissal of the best specialists. He was advised to buy a specially equipped wallet, which he did. Literally a few days later, bright specific stains appeared on the floor of the office and in the toilet room. The same stains were on the face of the employee who tried to wash off the dye. Her family and official status did not give the slightest suspicion of committing thefts. Belated repentance, a promise to compensate for the damage and never do anything like that again, did not produce the desired effect, she was fired, justice prevailed.
Another similar incident occurred in a trading company in the office of the chief accountant. Personal belongings and valuables periodically disappeared from the desk. What was unusual was that literally a few moments were enough for the theft. And since a large number of visitors came into the office to sign and fill out documents — it was very difficult to catch the thief red-handed. On the advice of specialists, a specially loaded banknote was placed in the desk. After lying in the desk for several days, the banknote disappeared, but on the same day, specific stains appeared on the dress of one of the employees. Entering the office several times a day, she studied the situation, and, choosing a moment when no one was in the office — she committed the theft, for this she needed 10-15 seconds. Without the use of special technical means, this crime would have been quite difficult to solve.
Due to the fact that there are a great many cases of theft of personal property — chemical traps are made structurally close to the objects of interest to the thief. For this purpose, the materials and covers used are those that are located at the place where the chemical trap is installed. In exchange offices, banks and their branches, post offices, bank bags with appropriate inscriptions are used to equip chemical traps. In shops and kiosks — special boxes that can create the illusion that there is money there, in the workplace — wallets and handbags, etc.
Developers and manufacturers of chemical traps try to keep up with the demands and wishes of customers. In addition to the fact that many traps are made to order, we also react sensitively to problematic issues that arise in society. Given the increased number of thefts from summer cottages and cellars, a device for scaring off thieves using tear gas has been developed and is being successfully used. Having penetrated the building and moving around it, the thief will certainly catch a thin nylon line, which, through a spring mechanism, opens the valve of the container with tear gas. Even if the room is large — it is impossible to be in it. This device works in almost any climatic conditions, is completely energy independent, does not require maintenance, but it should be noted that this device must be installed in closed, poorly ventilated rooms.
The summer cottage was constantly being robbed in the autumn and winter. The owner of the summer cottage installed one device on the front door and the second in the living room. When the thief tried to enter the premises, the first device went off, causing him to «cry» and «sneeze» quite a bit, thus discouraging him from continuing his criminal intentions. However, the broken door that was left open obviously did not give him any peace. A few days later, he returned again and, although he tried to be careful when entering, he caught an inconspicuous nylon thread in the room, causing the second device to go off, which made him retreat in panic.
Considering the recent widespread use of such crimes as theft of non-ferrous metals in industrial equipment — a chemical trap with a spring mechanism for ejecting dye was developed and successfully tested. This allows it to maintain its working properties for several years even in extreme climatic conditions. This chemical trap is used to prevent and, in the event of theft from a locked object — to quickly solve this theft. It is installed in electrical cabinets and communication boxes, fire hydrant boxes and especially to protect payphone equipment. All the problematic issues that arise during the operation of such devices are taken into account in the manufacturing process. Considering that most payphones and other equipment in which this trap is mounted are located outdoors, it is manufactured with an increased degree of protection from the effects of climatic conditions. A significant number of these products are installed to protect aluminum semi-cabins and new payphones, which are in great demand among «non-ferrous metal hunters». Payphones are used by a large number of people, but the chemical trap must work only on the thief, which is the second strict requirement. This prevents the possibility of causing damage to honest users of payphones, which was not the case in previously manufactured designs of chemical traps.
Easy installation and lack of maintenance for several years — make this device competitive with other technical security devices that are significantly more expensive and difficult to operate. The principle of operation of this trap is to trigger a spring mechanism when the equipment is opened or removed without authorization. At the same time, a portion of the dye is ejected at the intruder.
At night, a police patrol discovered a missing payphone. During the search for it and the people who could have committed the theft, several people were identified. They categorically denied any involvement in the theft. However, upon closer inspection, traces of dye were found on the hands of two of them. After delivering them to the police, they confirmed that the aluminum half-cabin with the payphone had been removed for subsequent sale. It would have been virtually impossible to prove the involvement of these young people in the crime committed in any other way.
As practice has shown, after a chemical trap has been triggered, regardless of whether the thief has been exposed or not — information about the use of such devices will dampen the ardor of the most convinced kleptomaniacs for a long time. And, although this article provides examples of the positive use of chemical traps, the range of their use is much wider, and they can be installed both in government agencies and in trade and commercial structures and even in domestic conditions to resolve intra-family disputes and protect apartment electricity meters. And given the low cost, wide variety and high efficiency in detecting and preventing petty thefts — chemical traps occupy a worthy place among the technical means used to identify petty thieves and unscrupulous employees.