The signs use Gel Audio technology from Scottish company SFX Technologies, which uses silicone hydro gel material to turn simple flat panels into loudspeakers. The trial run by the Metropolitan Police in South London saw customers entering the toilets and activating the talking signs, and after a short delay the message is played, urging them to protect their valuables.
Between September and November 2005, thefts fell by 50 per cent compared to the previous year. This reduces the overall crime tally for the ward by 20 per cent.
Signs containing the system have been installed in eight locations so far: four bars, two restaurants, St Thomas’s Hospital and the IMAX cinema. Nine more locations were due to join the scheme. The signs have been installed in ladies toilets because women make up the greater number of victims of this type of crime, with handbags seen as easy targets for theft.
