A SECRET weapon to help in the fight against crime is being unveiled in Redcar.

Hundreds of tiny dots are being used as part of an innovative "beat the burglar" pack, which has been distributed to homes in the west Redcar area.

The property marking kit contains the "datadots", which can be used to provide hidden marking on valuable property.

Each pack contains 750 tiny datadots, which can be used to mark a wide range of items.

Householders compile a list of items marked and that in turn is passed in to a property marking company which keeps a database of such items.

The list can be accessed by the police 24 hours a day.

With the pack comes a large notice to be posted at homes as a warning to would-be intruders that valuables inside have been secretly marked.

The burglary reduction initiative has been funded by West Redcar SRB and the Redcar and Cleveland Burglary Reduction Task Group.

Homes in Queen Street and Station Road in the Coatham ward, along with Blayberry Close, Burnmoor Close, Wykeham Close, Kent Close, Micklow Close and Blakey Close in the Kirkleatham ward have been targeted.

Detective Inspector Steve Richards, chairman of the Redcar and Cleveland Burglary Reduction Task Group, said: "We're always aiming to keep the burglar on the back foot."

l A public meeting to discuss the scheme takes place on Wednesday at the Oxgang Close Community Centre, in Redcar, at 2pm.