WITH prices for scrap metals across the world booming, thieves are targeting ever more unusual victims.
Recent months have seen a spate of thefts across South Wales ranging from the lead flashing on roofs to electrical cabling, drain covers, beer kegs, lampposts, even statues.
On Friday four men were sentenced for their parts in stealing and crushing more than �15,000 of Pontarddulais Town Band instruments.
The problem has become so bad that an all-Wales group has been set up to tackle it, led by Superintendent Harry Gamlin, from Gwent Police.
He said metal thefts cost Wales up to �6 million a year, and were also putting members of the public at risk.
"There is a common perception of metal thieves being loveable rogues, old-man- Steptoe-type characters," he said.
"People need to wake up to the fact that they are in fact highly organised and skilled gangs of criminals, who more than likely have links to other forms of serious and organised crime."
The spike in thefts is linked to a rise in the value of metals, especially copper, which is being driven by demand from India and China.
Sergeant Nick Jenkins, from South Wales Police, said: "Metal thieves will literally steal anything in order to sell it on for cash.
"Metal theft is not a victimless crime. Metal is often stolen from community buildings, which costs taxpayers money to replace, and those responsible are often involved in other forms of criminality."
Telecoms giant BT has already taken steps to protect its Welsh network, using "SmartWater", a forensically coded invisible paint that tags thieves and allows stolen items to be traced.
Other big companies, and some local councils and even churches, have also started using the fingerprinting technology.
One of the most commonly targeted areas is the rail network, and Detective Inspector Robin Conway, from British Transport Police, said cable and metal theft was "high on the force's agenda".
And Network Rail Wales has already stepped up helicopter track patrols, and is doubling its investment in fencing and covert surveillance.
The scrap merchants who buy the stolen items are crucial to the trade, and the British Metals Recycling Association has introduced a code of conduct which requires members to keep records of all metals received, and who sold it to them.
The public is also being urged to play its part.
Mr Gamlin said: "Most of us presume that if we see men in yellow jackets messing around with phone lines or power cables, then they must have someone's permission. But I would encourage everyone to question what they see."
jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk
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