Beating the metal thieves, continued
Police working to beat the metal thieves have carried out a series of raids in various parts of Britain this year, including the North, and now a series of raids in WIltshire have produced a spectacular result.
Around one ton of stolen BT cable was recovered during a series of co-ordinated raids on scrap metal yards.
Representatives of BT’s Metal Theft Task Force and 12 other agencies joined more than 100 police officers to serve warrants at dealerships in Wiltshire.
Sites in Melksham, Trowbridge, Swindon and Christian Malford near Chippenham were visited during the operation.
Ten people - including a 12-year-old boy - were arrested for offences including theft, handling stolen goods and burglary.
Property recovered included one ton of BT cable at the Melksham yard and more stolen cable belonging to BT at the Trowbridge yard, as well as stolen beer barrels, drain covers, water valves, metal pipes and around £10,500 cash.
Luke Beeson, BT Security general manager for metal theft, said: “The success of these police-led operations is critical to our success in reducing the number of cable theft incidents.
“Choking the disposal route for stolen metal is the most effective way of stopping it being stolen in the first place.”
A total of 45 traders delivering scrap metals to the sites were checked and 10 were served notices requiring them to produce evidence of how they obtained the items being delivered.
Acting chief inspector Pete Chamberlain said: “We are pleased with how the operation went and the way in which so many organisations came together to help tackle this crime which blights all our communities.”
The success of these raids is a welcome confirmation that the government and the authorities are taking the problem of metal theft seriously, but more still needs to be done. There are plenty of honest scrap metal dealers but the fact that so much stolen property was found on the sites searched in Wiltshire is a clear indication of the need for stricter licensing arrangements and implementation on the proposed ban on buying metal for cash.
We have to exterminate the trade in stolen metal before it causes deaths among innocent people.
Around one ton of stolen BT cable was recovered during a series of co-ordinated raids on scrap metal yards.
Representatives of BT’s Metal Theft Task Force and 12 other agencies joined more than 100 police officers to serve warrants at dealerships in Wiltshire.
Sites in Melksham, Trowbridge, Swindon and Christian Malford near Chippenham were visited during the operation.
Ten people - including a 12-year-old boy - were arrested for offences including theft, handling stolen goods and burglary.
Property recovered included one ton of BT cable at the Melksham yard and more stolen cable belonging to BT at the Trowbridge yard, as well as stolen beer barrels, drain covers, water valves, metal pipes and around £10,500 cash.
Luke Beeson, BT Security general manager for metal theft, said: “The success of these police-led operations is critical to our success in reducing the number of cable theft incidents.
“Choking the disposal route for stolen metal is the most effective way of stopping it being stolen in the first place.”
A total of 45 traders delivering scrap metals to the sites were checked and 10 were served notices requiring them to produce evidence of how they obtained the items being delivered.
Acting chief inspector Pete Chamberlain said: “We are pleased with how the operation went and the way in which so many organisations came together to help tackle this crime which blights all our communities.”
The success of these raids is a welcome confirmation that the government and the authorities are taking the problem of metal theft seriously, but more still needs to be done. There are plenty of honest scrap metal dealers but the fact that so much stolen property was found on the sites searched in Wiltshire is a clear indication of the need for stricter licensing arrangements and implementation on the proposed ban on buying metal for cash.
We have to exterminate the trade in stolen metal before it causes deaths among innocent people.
Comments
its no good to blame the party who happen to be in power at the time for this, we all need to act on this together.
Before long if this continues then someone will be killed as a result.