Applied DNA Sciences Inc (APDN)

[Jtown]

Applied DNA Sciences smartDNA(R) System to Protect Against Copper Theft in Sweden

According to a recent press release, the Company's smartDNA anti-theft system will be used by police in Sweden to help prevent theft of copper wire and other copper electrical components in the Sweden national rail system. Copper theft in Sweden is a widespread problem, posing enormous security and economic problems. In one instance, "rail traffic connecting Stockholm, Malmö, and Copenhagen was brought to a standstill after thieves severed the high-voltage overhead lines in order to steal the valuable copper wire inside. Passengers on ten trains that travel on a stretch of track on the Southern Main Line (Södra stambanan) in south central Sweden were forced to disembark."

APDN's smartDNA will help solve this problem by directly linking copper thieves with the crime. When applied to the metal, "a unique, permanent smartDNA mark will forever associate the specific copper directly to a specific crime. The plant-derived DNA is extremely robust, and has proven highly resistant to harsh weather and to criminals' attempts to clean it from stolen product. Used widely in Sweden and the United Kingdom, smartDNA has proved a powerful deterrent."

Sweden Transport Administration maintenance officer Harly Nilsen explained that "thieves get DNA on them and at the same time, we can link what they have stolen to a specific location. Then we can prosecute them for more serious crime than we do now."

Anders Burén, Detective Superintendent and head of the surveillance unit at the regional Criminal Investigation Department in Stockholm, added,

"The police are often successful in finding copper theft suspects, along with their haul of copper. But, legally, if we cannot link them to a specific crime we have to let them go, along with the copper itself. smartDNA may help greatly in this problem."

The smartDNA security system will be used on a stretch of rail track, in a test beginning shortly. Depending on results, the product could be used nationally on the extensive Sweden rail system. Read more at Yahoo Finance.