A REVIEW of security is taking place in some Darlington schools following a recent spate of thefts of projection equipment.

Police believe the projectors, which have been stolen from several schools during the summer holidays, are being sold cheaply to people to use with games consoles.

Council officers and managers of the town's closed-circuit television (CCTV) system are working with headteachers to review security.

A number of schools already have CCTV linked to Darlington town hall's central control room.

Police are also looking at increasing patrols near schools.

One initiative, launched in April, is Smartwater - a clear, forensic solution that can be applied to valuable property and is almost impossible to remove.

Each bottle carries its own DNA-type code that can be detected by the police and used to identify where item was stolen from.

Each school in Darlington has been given its own Smartwater supply and early indications are that the efforts are reducing crime.

Between April and August, there were six insurance claims submitted by schools for theft and vandalism, compared to 21 in the same period last year.

Don Bristow, council cabinet member for resources, said: "Although it is early days we are very impressed with the results using Smartwater and will continue to work with schools and the wider community to promote its use."