The crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and Openreach have joined forces in an attempt to clamp down on hundreds of thousands of pounds of cable theft from the Doncaster area and across Humberside in recent month. A £2,000 reward on offer from the communications company for information that leads to a conviction.
The Yorkshire town is now considered a ‘hotspot’ by Openreach as the crime is affecting many of the residents that live within the area, with broadband and TV services just some of those affected following almost 60 incidents since April.<br><br>Cable theft is a crime that can affect any street; with criminals stealing copper cables that are used to provide essential phone, TV and broadband services to millions of homes throughout the UK. Just one theft can mean hundreds of houses are left without connection, causing widespread disruption to communication channels. <br><br>Dave Hunter, Crimestoppers’ Regional Manager for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “Cable theft not only causes inconvenience to the local community, but it is also dangerous as it can impact the 999 network, phone-based telecare systems and isolate vulnerable individuals with no other means of communication.<br><br>“We hope that by working with Openreach we can stamp out this recent spate of attacks, and urge local people to come forward with information about any offences they may know about or suspect. Remember, this theft inconveniences you too as you may be left without your TV or broadband for days at a time.”<br><br>Bernie Auguste, Head of Security for Openreach said: “We are working very hard to prevent attacks in the Humberside area and to get those impacted connected again as soon as possible. By working closely with the police, installing extra protection and increasing vigilance in the area we are reducing the number of successful attacks. However, we really need the public’s help in identifying the perpetrators of this crime.<br><br>“We are asking for people to be particularly vigilant for unmarked vehicles and individuals that appear to be working on or near man hole covers or telephone poles, particularly at irregular hours. By working together we can send a clear message to thieves that theft will not be tolerated within the community.”
Meanwhile, raids at scrap metal premises across Wigan borough on 16 August resulted in copper and lead worth tens of thousands of pounds being seized.
As part of Operation Alloy, four sites were visited by police, the Health and Safety Executive, trading standards officials from Wigan and Salford and asset recovery teams from United Utilities, Electricity North West, Virgin Media and BT Openreach.
Electricity North West recovered cabling and copper conductors worth over £3,000 and BT Openreach seized cable worth around £1,000.
Virgin Media found over 4,000 metres of lead and copper cabling, 160 metres of fibre-optic cabling that could supply around 10,000 properties with a broadband, phone and TV connection, and a similar length of cable used for business telephony systems. The company also seized four batteries used to supply power to temporary traffic lights and telephone junction boxes.
In addition, police arrested two people on suspicion of theft after carrying out roadside checks using automatic number plate recognition equipment.
Chief Inspector Clara Williams of Greater Manchester Police’s Wigan Division said: “Metal theft is not a victimless crime, and we have recently seen an increase in this type of offence corresponding with the increased value of metal. An investigation into who has sold this property to scrap dealers is now underway, and we will prosecute anyone thought to be involved.”
