It’s the end of the line for thieves who have profited from stealing metal. So say police after amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act come in effect on Monday, December 3. According to the authorities this will close some loopholes which have allowed criminals to make money from theft of metal.
All cash transactions for metal at recycling yards will be outlawed – removing it is hoped a ‘cash-in-hand, no questions asked’ culture at scrap metal dealers. Changes to the Act will also see the upper limit of fines removed for those scrap metal recyclers which are found to break the law or breach the conditions of their licenses.
Police forces and agencies who have worked to tackle metal theft claim a year of relative success and a significant reduction in the level of offending across the country.
But police admit these reductions are from record crime levels and, in any other year, the figures would still be relatively high.
British Transport Police (BTP) Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther, ACPO lead for metal theft, said: “Despite recent reductions in offending, metal theft remains a serious threat to the infrastructure of Great Britain and we will only make a real difference if we continue to take positive action in conjunction with strengthened legislation.
“For several years metal thieves and unscrupulous metal recyclers have exploited outdated legislation to make profit from criminal activity. This stops now. Changes to the LASPO Act have outlawed all cash transactions at metal recycling yards across England and Wales and there has been a significant increase in fines for those dealers who fail to abide by the rules.
“These measures will seriously curtail the market for stolen metal as there will now be a clear audit trail back to those bringing commodities into recycling yards and severe sanctions for those who step out of line.”
DCC Crowther added: “The step forward in legislation is welcome and significant, but will not work in isolation. Industry, police and other agencies must continue to work together to enforce the new legislation, support further modernisation of the law and take action against those criminals who continue to target the very infrastructure we have all come to rely upon.”
Background
During 2008 live cable offences on BTP jurisdiction rose by about four per cent and non-live by about 30 per cent (year on year), however, towards the end of the year there was a reduction in the frequency of offences as the metal prices began to fall. The year
2010 saw a significant rise in the number of incidents recorded by BTP, culminating in a new record being set in April when just under 300 incidents were reported.
From April 2010 to March 2011 there was a 70.2pc increase in theft of cable. Cable theft is described as the number one crime issue for the railways, accounting for 39.7pc of all railway property theft. There were 2,712 cable thefts in 2010/11 compared to 1,593 in 2009/10.
Throughout 2012 British Transport Police has recorded reductions in offending compared with the previous year – there have been significant reductions since April 2012.
Across Great Britain, between April and October, there has been a 57pc drop in the theft of live cable and a 45pc drop in non-live cable theft. This represents an overall reduction of 51pc.
These reductions do not reflect a waning desire amongst criminals to target metal – anecdotal evidence suggests metal is still a desirable commodity – rather they show life is becoming more difficult for thieves.
Operation Tornado – a voluntary scheme that not all the scrap metal trade joined – has removed the relative anonymity some thieves have enjoyed, the authorities add.
