Metal Thieves Caught in the Act

Posted in Industry News on 23rd September 2011 |

A brazen attempted metal theft was foiled by quick thinking staff at a brewery supply company in Haddington, near Edinburgh, Scotland.

The two thieves were apprehended after they were spotted loading steel pipe onto their truck and the site gates were locked to prevent a getaway.

Once outnumbered by staff, there was little chance of escape for the 2 thieves who have been sentenced to serve prison sentences of four and eight months.

This is a rare example of metal thieves being caught and prosecuted in what is an increasing problem for the metals industry, construction and railway infrastructure.

There are currently proposals to tighten up regulations on the scrap metal industry, such as removing cash payments without paperwork trails. However, this may prove difficult to implement and increase the size of the totally unregulated black market.

Asmet's experience is that serious thefts of tens of thousands of pounds are simply left to insurance claims with little or no police investigation. In an ideal world, we would like to see the re-introductiuon of dedicated police detective and intelligence teams, but in the current economic and financial climate, this seems highly unlikely.

What is your experience of metals theft and what do you think should be done about it?

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Tags: Metal Theft