Pssssttt...wanna buy some cheap cable..?

[raveydavey]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 079Thieves plunged a Leeds road into darkness stealing lamp-post cabling worth a total of £200,000.The raiders, who could have caused serious accidents, struck over more than a mile of the East Leeds Link Road, east of Cross Green, Leeds.The thieves may have masqueraded as workmen dressed in flourescent waistcoats to deflect suspicion as they repeatedly returned to the dual carriageway and attacked the lamp-posts.They broke into the lamp-posts on either side of the recently constructed A63 dual carriageway which links Pontefract Lane to the M1.All the lamps on the outbound carriageway were attacked over a mile and others on the city bound side were also targeted during several raids leaving the isolated road in semi-darkness.Experts believe they used a vehicle to not only carry away the valuable copper cabling, but also to pull it out of the ground.When the cabling snagged underground, the thieves dug down and to release it.Police think it likely the thieves struck during the night and had the technical confidence to carry out the theft when the lamps were illuminated.Police have increased patrols and made checks with scrap metal dealers.Insp Nick Smart,said: “We’ve seen a number of incidents recently where people stealing high voltage electric cable have been killed or badly burned. Anyone who saw suspicious should contact PC David Lund at Killingbeck via: 0845 60 60 60 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously on: 0800 555 111.Council executive member for development Coun Richard Lewis said:“These acts are not only putting the lives of drivers at risk, but also the lives of anyone walking along a section of road which is being left in darkness and with live electrical cables exposed.”The cable thieves are getting more brazen by the day, as to have removed this lot will have clearly take hours.There is a motion going through parliament calling for the banning of payment for "scrap" in cash, insisting on payment by cheque or bank transfer so there is a paper trail to combat this sort of thing - which seems an eminently sensible solution.Let's be honest, the scrap dealer who buys all this cabling must have a damn good idea where it's come from, but chooses to turn a blind eye (if they are not more complicit). It's also worrying that the Police are treating it as such a low priority - with just a lowly PC handling the investigation...

[jdbythesea]

What always puzzles me davey is where do scrap merchants buy legitimate (ie not stolen) cable from.

[chameleon]

jdbythesea wrote: What always puzzles me davey is where do scrap merchants buy legitimate (ie not stolen) cable from. Replaced, damaged and dismantled reundant installations?The Paper chase Raveydavey mentioned is a good ides on deveral fronts together with proposals also to require CCTV and logging of vehicles. Mind you, disposing of (legitimate) sdrap many yeads ago now, I wasraquired to produce my driving licence and details of that and my car were recorded then - looks like things have become rather weak since then.

[raveydavey]

chameleon wrote: jdbythesea wrote: What always puzzles me davey is where do scrap merchants buy legitimate (ie not stolen) cable from. Replaced, damaged and dismantled reundant installations?The Paper chase Raveydavey mentioned is a good ides on deveral fronts together with proposals also to require CCTV and logging of vehicles. Mind you, disposing of (legitimate) sdrap many yeads ago now, I wasraquired to produce my driving licence and details of that and my car were recorded then - looks like things have become rather weak since then. A legitimate scrap dealer (or recyclers as they like to be known nowadays) will make those checks, as much to protect himself as anything. The trouble is that it remains too easy for those of a more nefarious nature to make money off the back of this. I personally find it hard to believe that the thieves on this occasion didn't have a buyer lined up before they started - even if they only got a fraction of it's true worth who has a) that sort of money lying about to pay them in cash and b) wouldn't find it odd that a couple of miles of electrical cable was suddenly on offer with no provenance? It's hardly a rare crime at the moment.Another problem is that the cable could be a hundred miles from Leeds in a couple of hours and so unlikely to be of much interest to the local bobbies.

[Leodian]

Slightly off topic but on a similar theme I am always surpried to hear of the stealing of lead from church roofs. As this has been going on for many years now surely the churches should have taken action but when it happens the response always seems to be one of surprise that it happened (I have seen reports of some churches replacing the lead and have that stolen very soon). Likewise the stealing of paving slabs. Such an incident was recently reported in Leeds but I think that attempted theft was foiled by chance. The path slabs at Adel Church have a cross cut into them which will make it easy to identify that the slabs are likely stolen, but from what I've seen many such paving slabs in the region are not marked so are potential theft targets.    

[chameleon]

Leodian wrote: Slightly off topic but on a similar theme I am always surpried to hear of the stealing of lead from church roofs. As this has been going on for many years now surely the churches should have taken action but when it happens the response always seems to be one of surprise that it happened (I have seen reports of some churches replacing the lead and have that stolen very soon). Likewise the stealing of paving slabs. Such an incident was recently reported in Leeds but I think that attempted theft was foiled by chance. The path slabs at Adel Church have a cross cut into them which will make it easy to identify that the slabs are likely stolen, but from what I've seen many such paving slabs in the region are not marked so are potential theft targets.     The lower level refurbished roof to the side of St James' in Seacroft village is a regular target for this. The low cost bituminised thin aluminium alternative sounds like an alternative for here. Is the church listed I wohder? If so lead is probably obligatory!

[tilly]

Also takeing cast iron drain covers i have seen this more than once.It leaves a hole big enough to right of your car i you hit one.The scrap yards must know what they are even if they have been broken up.    

[Whyme]

Most scrap metal/cable etc. Bypasses the scrap yards now a days and is shipped straight to china.Its a well organised venture now.Uually crimal gangs now ship it in containers to china.So scrap yards are not needed.    

[raveydavey]

chameleon wrote: Leodian wrote: Slightly off topic but on a similar theme I am always surpried to hear of the stealing of lead from church roofs. As this has been going on for many years now surely the churches should have taken action but when it happens the response always seems to be one of surprise that it happened (I have seen reports of some churches replacing the lead and have that stolen very soon). Likewise the stealing of paving slabs. Such an incident was recently reported in Leeds but I think that attempted theft was foiled by chance. The path slabs at Adel Church have a cross cut into them which will make it easy to identify that the slabs are likely stolen, but from what I've seen many such paving slabs in the region are not marked so are potential theft targets.     The lower level refurbished roof to the side of St James' in Seacroft village is a regular target for this. The low cost bituminised thin aluminium alternative sounds like an alternative for here. Is the church listed I wohder? If so lead is probably obligatory! There has been a case recently where English Heritage(? - the body who oversee the listing of buildings anyway) have agreed to the replacement of lead on a church roof with a cheaper material with a minimal scrap value but which looks the part from ground level in the face of repeated thefts from the same location. I can see the need to preserve originality, but if the same churches, etc are being targeted as soon as the lead is replaced then this seems a sensible solution.

[simpotts]

sa a proffessional elecrtrician with 20 years experience,i have stripped out many lage jobs,and the scrap merchants dont bat an eyelid if you have "gypsie joes electrical cuntractors" printed on your shirt.These thieving sdum have ruined semi complete jobs i<ve worked on,and even once pinched a £13,000 generator,as far as i am concerned they should be left to it in the hope that the scumbags manage to kill themselves in the process.as has benn said,they are not takinjg to legitimate scrapyards,but to thier uncle paddy's place,who also happens to be dad as well,so this saort of crime will never be stopped,and as for technical knowledge as one poster put it,on one job in one morning,i found a pair of molegrips welded accross a 3 phase isolator and 1/2 an hacksaw welded halfway through a huge cable.technical they are not.,just thieving scum that like to keep it in the family :-0