Cable thefts dropped by over 93% in past five years

EDGWARE (Scrap Monster): According to latest data published by Network Rail-the authority in charge of UK’s railway network, cable theft incidents dropped by over 93% during the past five years. The number of theft incidents has dropped from 845 in 2011-’12 to as low as 61 so far during 2015-’16.

As per data, the total delay caused by cable thefts has declined by over 88% from 344,685 minutes in 2011-’12 to 41,865 minutes so far in 2015-’16. The delay caused by cable thefts has increased slightly when compared with 37,687 minutes in 2014-’15. The London North Eastern and EM route accounted for 18,745 lost minutes due to cable thefts.

In a bid to counter the rising incidents of cable thefts which had hit peak in 2011-’12, the British Transport Police (BTP) had launched the National Metal Theft Taskforce (NMMT) to tackle theft attempts, by creating educational programmes and awareness campaigns among frontline staff. The BTP also beefed up security by implementing mechanisms including CCTV, Network Rail Helicopter, trembler alarms and forensic marking of cables.

The BTP attributed the huge drop in cable thefts to dedicated efforts of officers coupled with powerful legislations including the 2013 Scrap Metal Dealers Act. The Act has made it easier for the police to track thieves with the help of database maintained by scrap metal dealers. The national intelligence cell created to share metal theft intelligence with Network Rail and other agencies too played a significant role in bringing down cable theft incidents.

Incidentally, cable thefts lead to millions in repairs and losses to the Network Rail. It also causes thousands of hours of delays along with endangering passenger safety.