Due to its value and prevalence in a wide variety of locations, copper has always been a sought after material for criminals. Over the last few years we have noticed a large increase in this type of theft in locations such as construction sites, critical infrastructure compounds, and recycling facilities. What is causing this increase in copper theft, and how we can protect your property from this rising threat?
Why is copper theft a threat to your business?
Pipes, tubing, and wiring are just a few of the many materials commonly found on construction and infrastructure sites that contain copper. In March 2022, copper hit a record breaking market price of $4.90 USD/Lbs, and is now sitting at around $3.64 USD/Lbs as of August 2022(1).
While these prices are forecasted to decline over the remainder of 2022, copper is still highly valuable compared to the low prices (+/- $2.95 USD/Lbs) that were present 5 years ago, which has resulted in the metal remaining a sought after material for thieves(2).
During the period of August 6th – 7th 2022, a construction site in Peterborough, Ontario, fell victim to a copper theft that cost them approximately $5000 worth of materials. Copper wire thefts are not only costly when considering replacement, they can have devastating impacts on your business or surrounding communities.
Sydney, Nova Scotia felt the full effects of copper theft in April 2022, when a power substation was targeted by copper wire thieves. This theft resulted in an emergency power outage during the repair time, which left over 500 homes without power(3).
As previously mentioned, not only is copper theft costly, and damaging to the surrounding communities, it is also extremely dangerous for the individuals committing the crime. An attempted copper wire theft in Red Deer, Alberta left 6,000 homes without power when the suspect attempted to steal a live 25,000-volt copper wire(4).
When Jim Jorgenson, the Red Deer Utilities Manager, was asked about the incident he said “I think someone got extraordinarily lucky… possibly, they had little idea of the dangers they were facing. Who knows for sure? I tend to think the luck part was a big one.”(5) This incident shows how dangerous copper wire removal can be for those who are not privy to the sites protocols and procedures.
Even within our own client base, we have seen an increase in attempted copper thefts, most recently occurring on July 20th, 2022, when a material thief was detected entering a recycling facility by our highly skilled Video Monitoring Operators.
Our team quickly contacted the local Police, who arrived on site and apprehended the suspect, and retrieved the gathered copper strands.
How do we prevent copper theft on your sites?
Our industry leading security solutions aim to detect potential copper thieves at the perimeter of your site, and deter them before they enter. Our first line of defense comes in the form of highly effective anti-trespassing and video surveillance warning signage, that are deployed to warn the suspect that they are approaching an off-limits site that is being actively monitored.
If the trespasser is not deterred by the signage, they will be directly into view of our high-resolution security cameras that are strategically placed to surveil the perimeter of your site. When our Video Monitoring Operators detect the suspect, they will attempt to deter them from the site before a criminal act is committed. Firstly, voice commands from our live communication speaker are issued in order to inform the individual that they are being recorded, and that the police will be dispatched if they do not vacate the premises immediately.
These voice commands will acknowledge key details about the suspect(s) to let them know that their actions are being monitored live, and video evidence is being collected. For visual deterrence, our Video Monitoring Operators will activate our highly visible blue LED deterrence strobe light to bring attention to the area.
If the suspect is still not deterred, our Operators will immediately contact local Police services, and provide them with key details to assist in their apprehension. These details include, but are not limited to, suspect description, location, and behaviour. When the police are dispatched, our operators will stay in close contact, whilst continually collecting details that can further assist in the arrest of the suspect.
Once the suspect is apprehended and the threat is mitigated, our Monitoring Team will compile all of the collected information into a time stamped log report, which recalls the specific details that took place during the incident.
This report is made available to you through email/SMS message, and within our security information reporting platform, syncroReports. This platform is your access point to security logs, live camera feeds, and also provides the ability to control your sites’ Pan-Tilt-Zoom security cameras.
Copper theft is a crime that is costly, and damaging for the business involved, and even the surrounding communities in certain circumstances. It can also be very dangerous for the perpetrator. Our proactive security services & technology are the ideal solution for guarding your site from the rising threat of copper theft, and the risks associated with it.
Resources:
-
“Trading Economics Copper” Trading Economics
-
“Trading Economics Copper” Trading Economics
-
“Copper wire theft cause of emergency power outage in Sydney” Nicole Sullivan, Salt Wire, April 13th, 2022
-
“Attempted live wire theft boggles city officials” Paul Cowley, Red Deer Advocate, August 3rd, 2022
- “Attempted live wire theft boggles city officials” Paul Cowley, Red Deer Advocate, August 3rd, 2022