Criminals will be covered by a forensic spray squirted from a fog cannon that are going to be rolled out in supermarket stores after a series of break-ins.
The Co-op has started installing the Smartwater deterrents in some of its stores in Wales.
The device uses a dense fog to obscure vision and the unique spray it emits then helps to link criminals and stolen goods back to the scene of a crime.
The Co-op, which has been targeted in a number of break-ins in Wales this year, said the cannons are particularly useful in kiosk areas, which are regularly targeted due to their sale of age restricted products such as cigarettes and alcohol, NorthWalesLive reports.
It comes after the Co-op's Prestatyn store was broken into overnight on Tuesday, with the front of the store being badly damaged after three people broke their way in.
There has also been an armed robbery at a Co-op in Wrexham and at a store in Pontypool.
Once triggered by sensors, the fog obscures an intruder’s vision, and covers the criminal in a spray containing SmartWater’s unique forensic signature.
If stopped by police, the spray can still be detected on the criminal under a UV light, with the forensic signature specific to each incident.
The trace is guaranteed to be left on the person's body for five years.
Andrew Needham, Co-op's head of retail loss and costs, said: "Safety and security is our number one priority.
"We know that violence and crime is about much more than statistics, it is about its impact on people’s lives and the communities in which they live and work.
"As a community-based organisation we see the impact of social issues in our stores, and we’re committed to playing our part and working together to do all we can to protect colleagues and make our communities safer."
