Metal theft doubles in a year

THE POLICE are warning the public about metal thefts being on the increase.

Last week a property on the Saintfield Road, Lisburn was broken into and an amount of copper piping was stolen.
In August, 20 manhole covers worth £2,000 were stolen from the grounds of the Sally Garden Centre in Poleglass.
Thieves also target schools with 20 schools in Northern Ireland having lead stolen from their roofs, followed by building sites, churches, farms and shops.According to police statistics there has been a significant rise in metal thefts, with the PSNI recording 158 lead thefts in 2010/11, compared to 74 in 2009/10. In 2005 there were just 52 cases. Thieves pocketed £53,485 from stolen lead in the last year alone, despite 46 of the reported metal hauls recorded as having no estimated value.
That equates to £477.54 per load of lead they were able to sell.
The vast majority of recorded cases of theft comes from homes. Of the 158 cases, 49 were stolen from a dwelling.
Police would advice the public to:
• Remove or delay fitting metal such as copper tanks and copper pipes if a house is going to be empty.
• Mark metal with tamper-proof stickers, UV spray or grease.
• Use signs on vacant properties warning metal has been marked or removed. Consider using anti-climb paint, however you may have to display signage.
• Artificial lead (which is lower in resale value) is a good replacement in the event of a theft.

(Reproduced from The Ulster Star, 8th Dec 2011)

Gardien Comment: Use DNA Grease to mark property so that items can be traced back to their source - see http://www.garden-security.co.uk/selectaDNA-grease.aspx