Cable / copper / metal theft - ongoing problems on the railways and elsewhere

[whole diary]

[tramway]

Coming to a scrap metal dealer near you, this from the Wiltshire Times.

Ten people have been arrested after police raided four scrap metal dealerships across Wiltshire today, including Trowbridge and Melksham, in a countywide crackdown on metal theft.

[Lee]

From the Gloucestershire Echo:

Three men arrested on suspicion of stealing cables from Gloucestershire railway lines have been bailed.

A 43-year-old man from Stratford was arrested following the theft at Honeybourne on February 5.

Two men, aged 18 and 24, both from Birmingham, were also arrested on the same night following a theft at Brockley.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Rail cable theft: No more money to help tackle crime

The government has ruled out any immediate extra money to help tackle cable theft on the railways.

The Transport Select Committee had said "as a matter of urgency" more funds should be given to the metal theft task force beyond the current ^5m. Chairman Louise Ellman said she was "disappointed" and ministers "should not sit back and wait" while theft continued to cause huge disruption.

Ministers said they would keep the issue of funding "under review".

The British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) metal theft task force is attempting to increase prosecutions and disrupt organised criminal gangs. It is also carrying out spot checks on scrap metal dealers, a key conduit for stolen material.

The government said more than 100 officers countrywide were part of the task force, and further details of their plans would be announced shortly. "Given the progress it is making with legislative measures to tackle metal theft... the government does not consider at this stage that further funding is likely to be required to extend the scope or or duration of the metal theft task force, but will keep the issue under review," it said.

The transport committee made a number of other recommendations, among them the creation of a new criminal offence of aggravated trespass on the railway.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) said it wanted to "consider further" whether there was evidence to justify such a move, given "the steps already in hand to increase the resources available in the short term for enforcement". It said it had tabled amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill - currently awaiting Royal Assent - which satisfied other recommendations made by the committee.

These will prohibit most cash payments for scrap metal, require records to be kept of anyone selling scrap, and increase the maximum fine available for wrongdoing.

"This [will] provide a direct means of tracking the financial audit trail for sales of scrap metal, and hence go a substantial way towards enabling the identification of the sellers of stolen material," the DfT said.

The forthcoming bill will also extend police powers to search both registered and unregistered scrap metal dealers, the department added.

Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Mrs Ellman said: "I am disappointed that the government will not provide further resources for the police to tackle metal theft despite BTP's leading work in this area. Cable theft cost Network Rail ^16m last year and disrupted [millions of] journeys, so the government should not sit back and wait whilst these figures are repeated. The government's announcement must be translated into action if this unacceptable situation is to be addressed with the urgency that is required."

The ban on selling scrap for cash excludes itinerant, house-to-house metal collectors, who will be allowed to continue if they are registered with their local authority.

Labour MP Graham Jones has voiced concerns about the potential loophole, arguing that many itinerant collectors had been "operating illegally" for many years and were "often the point at which stolen metal infects the supply chain". He urged police and councils to take advantage of new powers to prosecute and fine any who failed to comply with registrations.

[EBrown]

From Rail.co

Police introduce new measures to help combat metal theft
New measures to combat the increasing problem of metal theft are being introduced across the North West, British Transport Police have said.
Operation Tornado, spearheaded by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), will aim to make it easier to trace sellers of stolen metal through an identification scheme.
Tornado spokesman Chief Inspector Robin Edwards said:
^As of 9 May, those selling scrap metal to participating dealers in the region will be required to provide proof of their identity ^ either a photo card driving licence including an address, or a passport or national ID card supported by a utility bill, which must be under three months old and show their address.
^Operation Tornado is one of a number of measures currently being explored to restrict the sale and movement of stolen metal. It has been designed not to inhibit those dealers that operate legitimate businesses, but to remove unscrupulous dealers who operate outside the law.
^We are hoping all registered scrap metal dealers in the region will sign up to be involved to help fight the stolen metal trade and make it more difficult for thieves to make money by targeting our communities for metal.^

[JayMac]

But only to 'participating dealers'. 

That won't stop the rogue dealers and may actually increase the use of the 'ask no questions' dealers out there. Whilst it's welcome that the problem is being addressed with a registration/identification scheme in one part of the country it may just push the problem elsewhere. The cable thieves will just look elsewhere for a place to sell their pilfered metal.

It really is time for legislation and not just the odd sticking plaster here and there.

[ellendune]

Yes but I can imagine the number of spot checks on other dealers might be signficantly higher. 

[bobm]

Not really practical to turn the clock back - but would the problem be so prevalent if signalling cables were still strung along telepgraph poles beside the line?

[ellendune]

Yes, I think it would be.  The only solution seems to be to bury them in ducts.  This is being done on resignalling schemes in the North East, but I have not seen it anywhere on the Great Western Resignalling.

[Electric train]

Not really practical to turn the clock back - but would the problem be so prevalent if signalling cables were still strung along telepgraph poles beside the line?

Yes ........ posibly even worse thieves are ripping down live yes and I do mean LIVE!!! 25,000 volt overheads to get at the copper and aluminium.

Yes, I think it would be.  The only solution seems to be to bury them in ducts.  This is being done on resignalling schemes in the North East, but I have not seen it anywhere on the Great Western Resignalling.

Burring even in duct has its own problems.  It is a lot more expensive and takes longer to install, often requiring machinery to do the excavations, the civil engineers have concerns over stability of embankments, cuttings and track bed when holes are dug.  Buried cables even in ducts are prone to being struck when someone comes along to dig a hole for something else 10 years after they were buried and everyone has forgotten they were there.

The answer is multifaceted technology to DNA mark cables, reduce the number of cables, NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to control all disposals of scrap generated by its contractors (that has a cost).  Detection of the crime and higher penalties for the thieves and for the handlers (ie scrap dealers)

[Worcester_Passenger]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18243271:

Railway cable theft: Eleven men charged

Eleven men have been charged with conspiracy to steal railway power cable in the north Cotswolds area between November and May.

The arrests were made in Birmingham and Warwickshire on 23 and 24 May as part of Operation Distillery.

It is investigating the theft of cable between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh.

The men of Romanian origin, aged between 19 and 36, have been remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on 1 June.

On 23 May, four men were detained after a suspicious vehicle was stopped by Warwickshire Police officers near the railway line in Church Lawford, Warwickshire.

The following day officers from British Transport Police executed search warrants at five addresses in the Handsworth and Smethwick areas of Birmingham and arrested seven men.

Church Lawford is between Coventry and Rugby.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Men jailed over 30 railway cable thefts in Warwickshire

Four men who stole 1,200m of railway cable in Warwickshire have been jailed.

All four had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal cable from the railway around Nuneaton.

The court heard the 30 offences caused some 500 hours of train delays

Flame Redshaw, 20, of Stanley Road, and George Brunozzi-Jones, 22, of Lutterworth Road, were each jailed for three years.

Dominic Wallis, 23, of Dryden Close, was jailed for 19 months, while John Gowland, 26, of Heath End Road, was given three-and-a-half years.

Warwickshire Justice Centre heard the four men had caused about 500 hours of delays to trains in the area between August 2010 and March 2011.

The court was told the men were responsible for 30 cable offences over six months.

Network Rail paid more than ^200,000 for repairs and fines to train companies, as a result of delays.

In sentencing, Judge Marten Coates said a "deterrent was clearly needed".

Edit note: Images now removed due to expiry of copyright permission. CfN

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Metal theft: 20 arrests in Caerphilly clampdown

Twenty people have been arrested and thousands of pounds worth of material recovered during a three-week metal theft operation in Caerphilly.

British Transport Police and Gwent Police stopped "itinerant collectors" and checked everyone in the vehicle.

There are now plans to see if it can be rolled out across more areas where metal theft is prevalent.

During the summer, Tonypandy Primary School in nearby Rhondda flooded after lead was stolen from the roof.

British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said 44 vehicles were stopped and searched in the crackdown with 15 loads of scrap metal seized. Vehicles worth more than ^100,000 were impounded in the operation and 23 people reported for driving without a licence. In addition, 14 people were reported for failing to keep appropriate records of metal sales.

In a statement, BTP said: "Over the three-week period, the work carried out contributed to a massive reduction in metal theft and other aspects of criminality. Most notably, not a single metal theft took place in the Rhymney Valley, which had always been an area where metal thefts had caused severe disruption to the railway."

BTP Det Insp Mark Cleland told Radio Wales: "We kept it simple, and it boiled down to two British Transport Police officers together with a couple of Gwent officers working with the environment agency and revenue and customs. We were out there daily stopping people, arresting them, working very closely with scrap metal dealers as well."

The initiative was so successful there are now plans to extend it, he said.

"This was a three-week trial to see if we could really make a big difference and we've shown that we can, so now we're looking to expand this and extend it further to see if we can really make a huge impact on metal theft in south Wales."

Det Insp Cleland added the number of metal thefts had also been cut due to another initiative called operation Tornado "a code of conduct for the scrap metal dealers".

"We work with them and when people bring metal in we ask them to bring photo-identification with them. The majority of scrap metal dealers are signed up to operation Tornado and we've seen some success with that already with a huge reduction in metal thefts Wales-wide."

Det Insp Cleland added: "Legislation comes in later this year which will make scrap metal dealing a cash-less system and we think that this, in conjunction with operation Tornado, will really help solve this problem."

One of the initiative's successes has been the recovery of three tonnes of British Telecom Cable and the arrest of one person on Wednesday.

"It could be that you couldn't ring 999 because of this theft, and we see this seizure of cable - worth thousands and thousands of pounds - as a really big success."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the British Transport Police press release:

Cable thief who suffered 11,000 volt burns injury is jailed ^ South Wales

A Beddau man who electrocuted and burnt himself while trying to steal live cable has been jailed for 18 months, following a British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) investigation.

Mark Lawrence Blay, aged 40, of Mildred Street, was hospitalised after cutting into an electricity cable carrying 11,000 volts. The incident left him with deep burns to his left hand.

Last week, Cardiff Crown Court was told that BTP officers were called to Pontyclun railway station on Monday, 17 October 2011, following a report of an attempted cable theft from under a railway river bridge.

Upon arrival, it was discovered that an electricity cable carrying 11,000 volts had been partially cut and black burn marks could be seen on the wall where the attack took place. A number of cut marks were also found on railway signalling cable.

Officers carried out a search of the area and recovered a number of items, including burnt clothing, tools and a rucksack. These were sent off for forensic analysis and subsequently confirmed the presence of Blay^s DNA.

Following enquiries made at local hospitals, it was discovered that Blay had been admitted to Royal Glamorgan Hospital with severe burns and skin loss to his left hand before being transferred to Morriston Hospital^s burns unit.

The attempted theft resulted in loss of power for around an hour to 2,400 Western Power customers, the court heard. The total cost in terms of repairing the cable was ^13,899.

In interview, Blay denied all knowledge of the attempted theft and claimed to have sustained his injuries when he hit an electrical cable while digging his back garden. Enquiries with Blay^s landlord revealed there were no cables under his garden.

Appearing for sentence on Wednesday, 10 October, unemployed Blay ^ who pleaded guilty to criminal damage, going equipped for theft and attempted theft - was sentenced to a total of 18 months^ imprisonment.

Detective Inspector Mark Cleland said: ^This was a planned attack motivated purely by profit. Blay went equipped to steal, in the process demonstrating a flagrant disregard for the local community, which suffered power loss as a consequence of his actions.

^The evidence against Blay ^ including the tools and clothing recovered from the scene, the burns to his hand and the compelling DNA evidence ^ was overwhelming.

^This is yet another example of the huge impact metal theft has on our communities, with many homes and commercial premises suffering as a result of his greed.

^There is a common assumption that cable theft is a victimless crime, with the only effects being felt by the railway industry and telecommunication and electrical companies - this is simply not the case, as was demonstrated by this crime.

"Stealing cable is also incredibly dangerous. As serious as his injuries were, Blay was extremely fortunate to escape with nothing but severe burns ^ he could quite easily have been killed.

^Crime which involves the theft or attempted theft of cable attracts strong penalties and I hope the sentence handed to Blay will act as a deterrent to others.^

[TonyK]

Good, I say. 11,000 volts through every cable would help deter the casual idiot, so long as every incident is reported with graphic details of the injuries sustained. Imagine being locked up in gaol for 6 or 7 months with a hand so badly burned as to deny one even its normal "recreational" use. Such a nightmare scenario would deter any male under the age of 42 more than anything else.

Getting hurt in the commission of a crime is increasingly being ignored in dealing with offenders. In Victorian days, a certain judge, on hearing a defence of intoxication, would opine that the defendant should be sentenced twice; first, for the offence, then for getting so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing*

Think also of that 'armless cove, recently given a free first-class airfare to the USA to answer certain charges. His barrister argued that his mental capacity was declining as a result of increasing mental trauma. The judge's answer was "Better get on with it PDQ, then, whilst he still knows what's occurring".

Something not unlike Blackpool Rock would help, like cable that says "This is the property of National Rail" no matter how small it is sliced. I am guessing also that copper, indeed all metal, = will play a smaller part in future signalling projects than in past, and fibre optic cable doesn't have the scrap value of the others.

(* In my case, your Honour, I did know what I was doing, and that it was wrong. It's just that I was enjoying it so much that I couldn't stop, and in any case .... I'll get my coat).

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Bedford Today:

Man charged after railway death

A man from Essex will face criminal charges over an alleged attempt to steal railway cables which led to the death of a suspected accomplice.

Mark Bradshaw, 43, of Canvey, has been charged with endangering railway passengers and attempted theft of electrical cable from an overhead line following the incident near Benfleet on June 27.

The body of a man in his 40s was found beside railway line at the scene and police believe the death may be linked to the alleged attempted theft.

Grace Ononiwu, chief crown prosecutor for East of England CPS, said: "After considering all the evidence, we have advised that Bradshaw should be charged with endangering railway passengers, or any other persons who might use or be on that track for any reason, by an unlawful act.

"This charge reflects the danger caused not only to passengers travelling on the railway but to Bradshaw and his alleged accomplice."

The incident happened on the London to Shoeburyness line.

Bradshaw has been bailed to appear at Southend Magistrates' Court on November 12.