UK - 'Spy in the sky' to combat cable thieves

[John Ashworth]

'Spy in the sky' to combat cable thieves

The battle against scrap bandits who steal copper signal cables and sell them to unscrupulous metal dealers has taken to the air.

In an operation in the Stockingford area of Nuneaton on March 5, British Transport Police together with colleagues from Warwickshire Police, HM Revenue and the Vehicle Operator Services Agency targeted known cable theft hotspots, using a 'Microdrone' - a remote-controlled miniature helicopter.

Almost silent in operation, it can hover over criminals and transmit live video footage and infrared images. It can even squirt offenders with a marking solution called SmartWater, which can then be identified by police using ultra violet light.

The world rise in metal prices has made cable theft the fastest-growing crime on the railway and causes immense disruption. The number of incidents almost doubled last year to 1,928.

The Railway Magazine, May 2008, p9