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| The Metal Bandits |
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Page 4 of 5 Elsewhere, thieves have even targeted car showrooms, particularly 4x4s, – not for the vehicles themselves but the small amount of platinum on the catalytic converters. The metal thieves also seem willing to take extraordinary risks. Western Power Distribution said there has been a spate of thefts from major electricity substations in Cornwall, with thieves dicing with more than 30,000 volts to steal copper earthing rods. The company has warned that someone could die, if the thefts continue. Already two apparent would-be thieves have been badly burnt after being caught trespassing at substations in Truro and Redruth. There have been 12 thefts in the Redruth area in recent months and the company has mounted extra patrols. So what are the police doing about all this? Metal crime is the subject of a campaign called Operation Drum, led by British Transport Police rather than individual police forces. This is because the thieves were treating the railways as a giant treasure chest of copper wire and other metal. In 2006, BTP recorded 1,142 crimes and made 317 arrests on the rail system. In 2007, they recorded 1,928 thefts and 396 arrests. In January this year, police in Cornwall took part in a day of action, carrying out arrests, targeting hotspots and mounting overt and covert operations. The BTP’s Assistant Chief Constable Mark Smith pointed out that metal theft was a major crime that has potentially serious economic consequences and negatively impacts on communities in many ways. It is certainly not a victimless crime. “We are prepared to devote considerable resources to target this type of crime. It forms part of continuing proactive police operations to identify, apprehend and prosecute those involved in metal theft,” said ACC Mark Smith. “On the rail system, theft of cable is a particular problem and is extremely dangerous to those involved. It can also cause hours of delay to the thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network. Those who steal cable are not just risking a prison sentence, they are risking their lives. “We are encouraging scrap metal dealers to be particularly vigilant and if they suspect metals to have been stolen, to report it to police.” Central to the whole crime is the unscrupulous scrap metal dealer, the man who’ll pay cash for a lorry full of manhole covers or copper piping - ‘no questions asked’. For the legitimate metal recycling operator, metal crime is a real problem. Not only does it give the trade a bad name, scrap yards are full of exactly the sort of booty the thieves are after. Such is the price of metal, one scrap metal dealer in St Day is currently paying out £19,000 a day for metal to be recycled. |
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