I reckon there should be a task force to catch the thieves in the first place. How about having tracking devices inside tempting copper downpipes and other metal that is stolen regularly?
My neighbour's copper downpipes have been targetted six times now. I got the rego numbers for half of the thieves and video of them stealing it, but the cops are not going to do anything about it. I have three motion detecting video cameras aimed at his downpipes, and a sensor light!
Perhaps a good reason not to have copper downpipes? If he really wants the look, I suspect getting plastic pipe metallised would work out cheaper.
Colin Bignell
They are using smartwater.
I suspect that's a .NZ thing, not many .UK copper downpipes, plastic or cast iron mainly.
Most of the thefts are underground phone cables, or trackside signalling or power cables ... open manhole in the wee smaall hours, hacksaw through cable, tie to towbar, drive off, see how much you can get, they've managed 1/4 of a mile a couple of times round here. for a 1000 pair cable that's a fair bit of copper ...
Last one I've heard of locally is a windfarm of 4 large turbines due to open a couple of months back, had its grid connection cables nicked
When the gleaming copper pipes arrived, I told the architect that they would be soon stolen. I was wrong. They are stolen only every few months. The house has a copper roof too and is clad in marble from Italy. I would just use plastic pipes and paint them to look like copper.
Given the mentality of a lot of these thieves, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference...
We had an excellent CCTV of some Pikey's making off with pinched stuff full pix of the reg plate of the van..
Went nowhere the Van was a rented one paid for in cash and no trace of the renters except a false name and address.
Seems to happen quite a bit, sometimes the "cash" not going to the firm renting the vehicle;(...
We've had 2 lead roofs stripped around here. And a murder when a farmer disturbed thieves. Despite the fact that *every* week, the crime reports for Battle area have metal nickage, no bugger seems to be able to catch the sods. The best intel the Police gave me for the village website was "might involve a red Ford flatbed". Hmm. There's one of those parked opposite me and I'm pretty sure it's not him!
Oil thefts are ramping up too.
Uncrossed postal orders and stamps?
They can be traced that is the point it aint rocket sceince. IS teh same idea as cash convertors and similar places, tke yuor scrap or gold or TV to a shop and get 'cash' that;s basic fencing isn't it. Some scap dealers are buying metal on teh cheap with no questions asked if peole did thast with cars/TV and any other stuff thefts would increase.
About 10 years ago a couple of middle aged men climbed throuygh a hole in a wire fence and started taking old relays that had been left out on the goods yard at stratford leyton area and selling them for scrap. They got caught by British rail and ended up in court, but the court went against BR mainly as BR claimed these relays were worth =A380 each and they'd lost =A31000s, but the judge asked why they don;t employ some to pick them up if they are worth so much or why they don;t fix the fence as children were seen climbing through and playing on the ralway tracks.
Thatv sounds quick to me.
So where are you leaving this scrap iron for me to take (provided I don't take more than =A3200 worth of course) ;-)
That sounds a bit kinky if yuo ask me ;-)
The owner has supplied the cameras and has amply compensated me for all my costs. I also got two nice bottles of wine last time I caught a copper thief. Nobody dares to do tagging in my street these days, and there are no burglars or vandals any more like there used tto be.
Why didn't he just steal the van? Worth far more!
Or perhaps this story is a little too unlikely. I'd suspect the honesty of the rental company TBH. It might even be their staff.
Andy
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