Evaluation of a forensic marking intervention for domestic abuse

Domestic abuse has significant, often long-term, impacts on its victims and makes up a high proportion of calls to the police. However, only a minority of offenders are brought to justice. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of situational crime prevention (SCP) methods for various crime types, their use in tackling domestic abuse remains under-developed. Forensic marking is an SCP method that uses a unique, chemically marked solution that is visible only under ultraviolet light. Domestic abuse victims apply this solution to their property or use handheld sprays of the solution to tag offenders attempting to make contact with them.