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08/09/2011
Transport Cops Target Cable Crime
Over the next few weeks British Transport Police (BTP) will be blitzing the Knottingley area with additional officers and patrols in a push to target cable crime.
The special operation will involve large numbers of additional BTP officers being deployed to work alongside BTP's dedicated cable squad of over 20 officers in the North.
The additional officers will assist by providing high visibility patrols day and night in key hotspot areas on the railway network that are often targeted by criminals attempting to steal railway cable which results in disruption and misery for the travelling public.
PCSOs will also be leafleting thousands of residents throughout Knottingley in the next few weeks highlighting the effects of cable theft in their community, and warning of the dangers and likely punishment of stealing cable.
Railway cable in the area is now being protected by a new, unique Forensic Taggent from RedWeb Technologies. It is being applied to the cables to help police catch the thieves, by providing the all important link between the criminal and the crime scene.
Detective Sergeant Granville Sellers of British Transport Police’s dedicated cable squad Operation Leopard said: “Over the past few months we have seen an increase in the number of offences in the Knottingley area which is causing huge disruption to passengers travelling through the area.
“The price of copper on world markets is continuing to drive the demand for cable, which has resulted in an increase in the number of incidents of cable theft on the railway. It’s costing the industry, and the wider economy, millions of pounds and that figure is rising.”
He continued: “More and more culprits and scrap metal dealers are being caught, since 1 April 2011 we have arrested over 60 people in the North East alone, with 13 in the Wakefield area, and we’re pushing hard to make sure they face the toughest possible sentences in relation to this crime, but thieves are still willing to risk their lives for just £50 in their pocket."
Last week cable thief John Eastman, was jailed for 12 months at Pontefract Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two counts of stealing cable from Fairburn and Fryston earlier this year.
Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves.
(BMcN/GK)
The special operation will involve large numbers of additional BTP officers being deployed to work alongside BTP's dedicated cable squad of over 20 officers in the North.
The additional officers will assist by providing high visibility patrols day and night in key hotspot areas on the railway network that are often targeted by criminals attempting to steal railway cable which results in disruption and misery for the travelling public.
PCSOs will also be leafleting thousands of residents throughout Knottingley in the next few weeks highlighting the effects of cable theft in their community, and warning of the dangers and likely punishment of stealing cable.
Railway cable in the area is now being protected by a new, unique Forensic Taggent from RedWeb Technologies. It is being applied to the cables to help police catch the thieves, by providing the all important link between the criminal and the crime scene.
Detective Sergeant Granville Sellers of British Transport Police’s dedicated cable squad Operation Leopard said: “Over the past few months we have seen an increase in the number of offences in the Knottingley area which is causing huge disruption to passengers travelling through the area.
“The price of copper on world markets is continuing to drive the demand for cable, which has resulted in an increase in the number of incidents of cable theft on the railway. It’s costing the industry, and the wider economy, millions of pounds and that figure is rising.”
He continued: “More and more culprits and scrap metal dealers are being caught, since 1 April 2011 we have arrested over 60 people in the North East alone, with 13 in the Wakefield area, and we’re pushing hard to make sure they face the toughest possible sentences in relation to this crime, but thieves are still willing to risk their lives for just £50 in their pocket."
Last week cable thief John Eastman, was jailed for 12 months at Pontefract Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two counts of stealing cable from Fairburn and Fryston earlier this year.
Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves.
(BMcN/GK)
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