Banknote Watch is a crime prevention initiative - promoting the fact that a stained note is probably a stolen note.

The aim of Banknote Watch is to prevent criminals profiting from the proceeds of crime and reduce the risk of businesses becoming the victims of commercial robbery.

Banknote Watch is a partnership between the manufacturers/installers & users of cash staining systems, the Government and Police. It has sought specialist advise from the Bank of England and is supported by the Home Office, Scottish Executive, Northern Ireland Office and leading financial/retail organisations.

Dear Visitor

Thank you for visiting the Banknote Watch website.

Increasingly, the money in commercial premises is being protected by using sophisticated means of staining or degrading the cash in the event of robbery or theft. Thousands of tills, cash-in-transit cases, safes and cash dispensers are equipped so that a robbery attempt results in the money being stained red, bluish purple or green, and of no potential value to the criminal. With many of these systems, a substantial cloud of red smoke attracts the attention of the witnesses, further raising the risk of detection and arrest.

Banknote Watch is a national crime prevention initiative that aims to prevent criminals profiting from the proceeds of crime and reduce the risk of commercial robbery by raising public awareness that:

"a stained note is probably a stolen note"

If you find a stained note, you can obtain a form from your bank or Post Office and send it to the mutilated notes department of the Bank of England (or issuing bank), which, providing the note is genuine will refund its face value.

Any information you have regarding stolen notes or any other crime should be communicated to Crimestoppers or your local Police.

By being aware that "a stained note is probably a stolen note" you and every member of the public can play a part in fighting crime.

Alan Townsend
Chairman, Banknote Watch Trust