Britain struggles to contain rampant copper thefts
Britain is struggling to stop thieves that are stealing large quantities of copper from rail yards; the cost of these thefts to the British government has doubled to roughly $1.25 billion a year; the price of copper has hit all-time highs at just over $10,000 per ton, which has driven organized gangs to conduct dangerous raids on rail way stations; the gangs climb on to the tracks and use power tools to cut down all the copper cables they can including train signaling, electricity, and data cables; thefts are expected to increase as the demand from China is projected to push copper prices even higher
Britain is struggling to stop thieves that are stealing large quantities of copper from rail yards. The cost of these thefts to the British government has doubled to around £770 million a year, or roughly $1.25 billion, and this number is projected to increase as thefts continue.
The price of copper has hit all-time highs at just over $10,000 per ton, which has driven organized gangs to conduct dangerous raids on rail way stations. The gangs climb on to the tracks and use power tools to cut down all the copper cables they can including train signaling, electricity, and data cables.
Last year these thefts cost Network Rail £11.75 million, roughly $19 million.
Eamonn Carroll, the chief superintendent of British Transport Police (BTP), said, “Cable theft is the next biggest priority after the terrorist threat. The disruption and the problems it can cause are immense.”
The robberies can delay trains for hours because when cables are cut, trains are required to stop for safety reasons.
Law enforcement agencies and rail operators have implemented a variety of measures to combat this growing trend including armor plated cables that is difficult to cut, burying cables four feet below ground, and security cameras.
BTP, Network Rail, and British Telecom (BT) are also pushing for legislation that would require all scrap yards which purchase small amounts of copper, to be made cashless so that law enforcement agencies have a paper trail to find these gangs.
A Network Rail spokesman said, “It’s the worst it’s ever been and is causing untold misery to hundreds of thousands of rail passengers.
“As well as scrap yards being made cashless, we want compulsory registration for scrap dealers and the police to be given the power to close scrap yards using stolen material,” he added.
Thefts are expected to increase as the demand from China is projected to push copper prices even higher.
