Between April 2009 and March 2010 there were 187 incidents of metal theft in Wokingham and 179 in Bracknell. During the same period in 2010/11 there were 298 in Wokingham and 268 in Bracknell – leaps of 59 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
Ferrous metals like iron and steel have been targeted by thieves as well as lead – commonly roof tiles – and copper, which is why criminals take cables such as those found on railway tracks.
Police say the rise is not just down to the inflated price of scrap metal, but also due to better recording of incidents.
Police also say that many scrap yards around the area are full because of the stagnation in the global economy, meaning building materials are not in demand. It means the prices they will pay for once-expensive metals like copper and lead are falling fast.
Nick Gilbert, crime reduction adviser for Thames Valley Police, said: “The price of scrap is coming down – there’s lots of lead waiting around to be bought.
“It means dealers aren’t going to be paying the same prices for metals and word will get around.
“What we want to ask is whether it’s really worth the risk? People are putting their lives and other people’s at risk to steal metal which soon won't be worth very much.
“We’ve had cases where high-voltage power cables have been stolen from power stations and people have been electrocuted while doing it.
“We also had an incident where the phone lines in a whole Oxfordshire village were down for a week because of cable theft – that put people’s lives at risk.
“There has been an upturn in metal thefts and we’ve invested a lot of time and money into Operation Precious to deal with it because we want to stop it and the people who are stealing metal are often involved in other crimes too.
“In a way, we’ve been the victims of our own success. In the past if someone had stolen a garden bench for the metal it might not have recognised by us as a metal theft but now it would be.
“I’m not suggesting that metal thefts haven’t gone up, because they have, but the figures are slightly out of proportion.”
Although there were more metal thefts in Reading last year – 526 – the percentage rise was not as high as it was in Wokingham or Bracknell.
Mr Gilbert said: “They are very rural areas and rural areas tend to suffer more at times like this because metals can be more accessible.
“There have been lots of incidents in Wokingham and Bracknell where farming equipment has been stolen and that’s a large element of what’s been happening there.”
He also encouraged people to report any incidents they think might have been connected to metal theft to police.
He added: “For example, if you see someone doing roadworks at 2am, even if they’re wearing a yellow jacket and all that, there’s a good chance they aren’t actually doing roadworks.
“It’s better to report something like that to the police and have it turn out to be a false alarm than to let it happen if it is a theft.”
If you have any information about metal thefts you can call police on 0845 8 505 505 or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you spot a metal theft in progress call 999.
(Reproduced from getwokingham.co.uk 7th Nov)
Gardien Comment: Metal items in your garden are at risk - apart from our metal sheds which are anchored through their base to the ground. They are thus a very safe place to keep items out of sight. See the range at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/Steel-Storage-Unit.aspx
Ferrous metals like iron and steel have been targeted by thieves as well as lead – commonly roof tiles – and copper, which is why criminals take cables such as those found on railway tracks.
Police say the rise is not just down to the inflated price of scrap metal, but also due to better recording of incidents.
Police also say that many scrap yards around the area are full because of the stagnation in the global economy, meaning building materials are not in demand. It means the prices they will pay for once-expensive metals like copper and lead are falling fast.
Nick Gilbert, crime reduction adviser for Thames Valley Police, said: “The price of scrap is coming down – there’s lots of lead waiting around to be bought.
“It means dealers aren’t going to be paying the same prices for metals and word will get around.
“What we want to ask is whether it’s really worth the risk? People are putting their lives and other people’s at risk to steal metal which soon won't be worth very much.
“We’ve had cases where high-voltage power cables have been stolen from power stations and people have been electrocuted while doing it.
“We also had an incident where the phone lines in a whole Oxfordshire village were down for a week because of cable theft – that put people’s lives at risk.
“There has been an upturn in metal thefts and we’ve invested a lot of time and money into Operation Precious to deal with it because we want to stop it and the people who are stealing metal are often involved in other crimes too.
“In a way, we’ve been the victims of our own success. In the past if someone had stolen a garden bench for the metal it might not have recognised by us as a metal theft but now it would be.
“I’m not suggesting that metal thefts haven’t gone up, because they have, but the figures are slightly out of proportion.”
Although there were more metal thefts in Reading last year – 526 – the percentage rise was not as high as it was in Wokingham or Bracknell.
Mr Gilbert said: “They are very rural areas and rural areas tend to suffer more at times like this because metals can be more accessible.
“There have been lots of incidents in Wokingham and Bracknell where farming equipment has been stolen and that’s a large element of what’s been happening there.”
He also encouraged people to report any incidents they think might have been connected to metal theft to police.
He added: “For example, if you see someone doing roadworks at 2am, even if they’re wearing a yellow jacket and all that, there’s a good chance they aren’t actually doing roadworks.
“It’s better to report something like that to the police and have it turn out to be a false alarm than to let it happen if it is a theft.”
If you have any information about metal thefts you can call police on 0845 8 505 505 or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you spot a metal theft in progress call 999.
(Reproduced from getwokingham.co.uk 7th Nov)
Gardien Comment: Metal items in your garden are at risk - apart from our metal sheds which are anchored through their base to the ground. They are thus a very safe place to keep items out of sight. See the range at http://www.garden-security.co.uk/Steel-Storage-Unit.aspx
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