A new crime-fighting tool will be available to help protect homes from burglaries.
The SelectaDNA forensic kits will be made available to residents in Cheshire and fitted into their homes.
Cheshire Police has invested more than £170,000 into the kits that can be placed on items such as jewellery, laptops and TVs.
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Once placed onto items, the SelectaDNA forensic coding solution leaves an invisible liquid that marks the skin of burglars who touch it.
When the burglar is caught officers can then use specialist lighting to identify if the offender has been marked by the colourless liquid.
The liquid comes with a DNA code that can link to a specific crime that has been reported.
The code can also be used to identify where property has been stolen from meaning items can be returned to their owners.
Nine local policing units will give out the kits to targeted streets.
Residents who are provided with a kit will also receive a sticker that can be displayed in their windows which can act as a deterrent to burglars.
In the coming weeks street signs informing of the crime fighting tool will be displayed in residential areas across the county.
Cheshire Constabulary’s Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: "We know that burglary is a distressing crime leaving people feeling violated in their own home.
"Therefore we want to do all we can to ensure people feel safe and that offenders are deterred from committing burglary and serious and acquisitive crime in our county.
"This unique tool is one way of doing both.
"Offenders who set out to commit these crimes will run the risk of being marked with the liquid in any of the homes they choose to target.
"They won’t know the liquid is on them and they will find it incredibly difficult to remove, which makes it easier for officers to detect them.
"Over the coming weeks this crime-fighting tool and the wider Operation Shield initiative will become more accessible and visible in communities across the county.
"We hope it acts as a deterrent by creating a hostile environment for offenders choosing to commit crime in Cheshire."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer, said: "Protecting Cheshire’s communities from burglaries means having both effective preventative measures and deterrents in place.
"SelectaDNA is one of these methods that we’re sending out the clear message, that this type of behaviour isn’t tolerated here in Cheshire.
"I’m hoping this tool also provides communities with the reassurance they need that Cheshire Constabulary are doing all they can to prevent crimes in their neighbourhoods."
