RECYCLING plant OPERATORS, who accept metals, have been turning in people bringing them stolen materials.
Managing director of B’s Bottle Depot, Paul Bynoe, said “this nonsense” had caused him to be involved with the police in the past, and he had no qualms about informing them about any suspicious activity.
“I think it is wrong and dishonest. You can’t allow people to drive around and steal like that. I’ve already had to call in the police; and any information I can give, I will give.
“I am not encouraging anybody to annoy anyone with this nonsense. I’ve even had to employ security guards,” he said.
A spokesman of Recycling Preparation Inc. (RPI), who declined to be named, said he too had already helped the police arrest metal thieves.
“Sometimes it is not easy to identify where a piece of metal has come from, especially if it has been burnt [where the insulation has been burnt off to increase its value and also to destroy identifying marks] but we are as confident in our security measures as we can be. We work closely with the police,” he said.
In a telephone interview, police public relations officer Inspector David Welch said anyone who stole utility wires for copper or handled such stolen property was in violation of the Theft Act.
“The sentence for theft is a maximum of ten years, while anyone found guilty of handling stolen property can be sentenced, on indictment, to a maximum of 15 years,” he said.
Welch appealed for vigilance from the public.
“We are asking the public to call the police if they see suspicious people up utility poles. Also, after utility wires are stolen, perpetrators usually take them to sites to have the coating burnt off. So we are also asking the public to contact the police if they notice such activity,” the inspector said. (CA)
