UK: 'We need new laws to tackle metal thieves'

[John Ashworth]

We need new laws to tackle metal thieves

London Evening Standard comment
21 Dec 2011

The avarice and unscrupulousness of metal thieves are without limit - the targets range from church war memorials to a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth stolen from Dulwich Park this week, not to mention railway cables and pylons. For commuters the problem is serious: in London and the South-East alone, 40 days' worth of delays have been caused this year by cable theft. Before London wakes one day to find that the lions of Trafalgar Square have been stolen to be sold as scrap, something has to be done.

Now, at last, ministers are taking the issue as seriously as it should be. The transport minister, Norman Baker, tells this paper that he is considering banning cash payments for scrap metal. A bill being piloted by Graham Jones MP proposes a licensing scheme which would oblige dealers to check the identities of sellers and to refuse to make cash payments. If a dealer failed to comply, his licence would be removed.

The huge increase in the incidence of theft is driven by a jump in commodity prices, notably copper. Banning cash transactions could help identify those who drive the trade, mostly professional criminals. At present the main law regulating scrap metal dealers is the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964: it carries fixed fine penalties which, at perhaps £1,000 for an offence, are risibly smaller than the potential profits of the crime. The police are starting to taking the issue more seriously, with a new unit to deal with metal theft; it is time the law was updated too.

[John Ashworth]

METAL WATCH INTRODUCED, 22/12/2011

Professional Security

With prices of metal high, metal theft is a major problem, say police. Offenders are taking serious risks stealing metal from railway lines, electricity cables and other installations.

In West Yorkshire, Wakefield police are continuing to focus on the theft and handling of scrap metal supported by British Transport Police, Network Rail, Northern Powergrid, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, Wakefield Council and the Regional Roads Policing Team.

They led a meeting in Wakefield on Monday, December 19, attended by the metal trade. Its aim was to ensure that metal traders are properly informed when accepting metal and to introduce a new initiative called Metal Watch. This will provide metal traders with a support network, including the police and external agencies, where they can find information and advice and on a daily basis. Police will provide information that will assist in the identification of stolen metals.

Sergeant Dan Tillett, of Pontefract and Knottingley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We wanted to paint a realistic picture of the cost and impact of thefts to the victim, both residential and corporate.

"Issues of public safety and horror stories of harm to offenders are clearly emotive and impactive. Thieves can not sell their ill gotten gains if we make the point of sale less easy and attractive to them. Powerful presentations were delivered by Northern Power Grid, Network Rail, West Yorkshire Fire Service and the Proceeds of Crime Act on the impacts of metal theft.

"The meeting was very constructive and positive. I would like to thank everyone who attended, especially the metal dealers themselves. We were able to break down barriers and begin to share information. I believe positive relationships have been built that will get stronger through the proposed partnership working, and I am sure will be successful in the fight against metal theft. We now very much look forward to the launch of Metal Watch early in the new year.”

[John Ashworth]

JUDGE SHOWS METTLE OVER JAILING OF THIEVES

Tuesday December 27,2011
By Daily Express reporter

METAL thieves have become a modern scourge, desecrating war memorials and churches, vandalising property by stealing lead, copper piping and radiators and causing misery and massive inconvenience to millions of train travellers. It is estimated that they cost the economy £1billion a year. few people have been untouched by this crime wave.

Now Judge Andrew Hamilton has spoken out at Derby Crown Court, encouraging his colleagues in the judiciary to hand down “substantial” jail terms to those found guilty. he was responding to the case of 20-year-old Daniel thornton whose activities were described as “unstoppable” and who received a sentence of two years and four months. The judge made it clear that this was not merely a punishment but the only way available to keep thornton off the streets and prevent him from returning to the same properties time after time in order to strip them. It was revealed that thornton had visited the same school building on no less than five occasions.

All too often it seems that judges hand out light sentences or no sentences as all. And while thornton’s term of two years plus does not seem especially severe it does at least send a signal to those who have made a career out of this horrible vandalism.

In a victory for this newspaper’s Stop the Vile Vandals crusade the Government is pledged to address this problem with a £5million task force. tackling the thieves is one important element but until rogue scrap metal dealers are brought to justice the likes of Daniel thornton will, regrettably, continue to regard metal theft as a nice little earner.

[John Ashworth]

Metal Detectors: Scheme To Beat The Thieves

11:43am UK, Thursday December 29, 2011
Gerard Tubb, North of England correspondent
Sky News

A pilot scheme to try to stop the theft of metal is being launched in northeast England.

Thefts of valuable metals are thought to be costing the country £1bn a year in loss and damage, as well as causing chaos on the railways.

Virgin Trains estimates that cable thefts alone were responsible for 6,000 hours of delays on the railways last year.

The Government-backed scheme relies on dealers agreeing to record the names and addresses of people selling scrap metal.

Operation Tornado is hoping to sign up all 240 registered scrap metal dealers from Northumberland to Cleveland for the six-month pilot.

Anyone selling metal will be asked to provide their driving licence or passport backed up with a recent utility bill.

Chief Inspector Robin Edwards from the Association of Chief Police Officers said the scheme should 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," he said.

Most thefts are thought to be opportunistic and the scheme will be judged a success if it reduces the number of thefts by cutting off the local market for stolen scrap.

Lord Henley, the Home Office minister for crime prevention, described metal theft as a serious and growing international problem.

"It is clear that legislation dating back to the 1960s is not sufficient to deal with an increasingly organised crime," he said.

" hope that the many legitimate members of the scrap metal recycling industry in the North East will use this opportunity to help us to remove unscrupulous dealers who operate outside the law or turn a blind eye to stolen material."

David Brooke, rector of St Cuthbert's Church in Redmarshall, County Durham, welcomed the scheme.

His 13th century church has been closed since before Christmas when thieves stripped lead from the roof, causing water damage to the walls, carpets and pews.

The metal thieves left his congregation of 20 people with a repair bill of £30,000.

"The people who took the scrap probably made hundreds of pounds and the value of the metal itself is probably a few thousand pounds," he said.

"But the damage is tens of thousands of pounds and, to be honest, we don't know where some of it is coming from."