Metal thefts on the up

Lianne Cooper

02 May 2008

GARDEN furniture was stolen from a property in Astwood Bank last weekend leading police to express their concerns over the rise of metal thefts in the county.
The metal furniture was taken on Saturday afternoon (April 26) and police are urging residents to come forward with information into what appears to be the black market trade on metal.
The high price of certain metals on the global market means thieves are stealing a variety of items such as road signs, drain covers, copper piping and even lead off church roofs.
To combat the problem, West Mercia launched Project Livewire last summer and already 90 arrests have been made, but police want to further tackle the issue and are working to improve the flow of information between partners such as the Environment Agency, Trading Standards and local authorities to establish patterns of crime and what can be done to prevent and detect offences.
Stop checks are currently being carried out on vehicles transporting metal and officers are checking drivers for the correct documentation.
Acting detective inspector Mark Stringer, from West Mercia's Forces Intelligence Bureau, said metal thefts only accounted for a very small proportion of total crime for the force.
"However, it is a problem which is on the rise and a large theft from a company premises could put them out of business and means the loss of jobs and livelihood," he said.
"We want the public to call us with information if they see metal being stolen of have information about someone trying to sell metal in suspicious circumstances.
"This is not only a problem in the West Mercia area but across the country - some of the larger thefts are carried out by organised criminal groups operating at a national level, although we have recorded a number of opportunistic crimes."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the police on 08457 444888, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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