DA proposes copper theft solution

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and industry players have suggested ways to tackle the copper theft situation that has been crippling the Gautrain.

The official opposition yesterday launched a five-step plan to combat cable theft.

“Our representatives in Parliament, in provincial legislatures and in city and town councils will advocate for these solutions to be implemented across the country.”

It adds that copper theft has reached an all-time high. “It is estimated that copper theft costs our economy R10 billion per year, hampering economic growth, productivity and job creation.

“Nothing illustrates the extent of the problem better than the recent incidents of copper theft affecting the Gautrain. These incidents tell us that copper theft has become a highly-co-ordinated and professional crime, with syndicates exporting stolen copper en masse.”

The Gautrain was crippled due to cable theft twice within one week this month.

In 2007, the DA established the “Copperheads” taskforce to tackle the copper theft problem.

The 12-person unit, through tip-offs from the public, as well as proactive intelligence-gathering, was mandated to find, catch and arrest copper thieves, according to the DA.

It says between 200 and 300 people were arrested per year since Copperheads' inception. On average, about 50 council workers were arrested a year, indicating that in some instances, copper theft from municipal property is an inside job.

The opposition party also says in 2007, when the Copperheads were established, R22 million worth of copper and other metals were stolen. In 2009, that number had fallen to only R500 000.

“There is no reason why this success cannot be replicated in Johannesburg and other metros. We will be pushing for a Copperheads unit to be established in Johannesburg and in other metros across the country.”

The DA has put forward five key proposals for a national plan to stop copper theft.

The first suggestion is the implementation of the Second Hand Goods Law of 2009. It creates a solid framework for law enforcement to pursue and prosecute copper thieves and will make it much easier to police copper theft, according to the DA.

Copper theft needs to be made a priority crime for the SA Police Services (SAPS), to place more responsibility on the SAPS to investigate and resolve copper theft cases. The crime also needs to be given its own crime code at the SAPS, says the DA.

“Presently, the SAPS crime database records copper theft in the category 'other crimes'. This means that there are no reliable statistics of the incidence of copper theft, hampering the development of a sophisticated strategy to combat copper theft.”

The fourth suggestion is to set copper theft reduction targets at parastatals, accompanied by a comprehensive strategic plan to meet these targets.

Finally, there should be close co-operation with industry experts.

CEO of the Recycling Association of SA (RASA) Nancy Strachan says SA has the potential to be a world leader in solving and addressing the copper theft problem, but, so far, has failed to do so.

“These thefts are affecting our country's critical infrastructure, and thereby, crippling our economy. Everyone is affected and the ripple effects are enormous. This is a giant elephant of a problem, not a fly that we are trying to swot.”

Strachan says there are three main problems that need to be addressed. The first is that cables need to be marked in a unique, identifiable manner so they cannot be confused with products that are legally available for resale.

The police and scrap metal dealers need to be trained to identify stolen goods. RASA says micro-dotting technology to assist with identification was presented to government, Telkom, Transnet, Eskom and municipalities about four years ago, and is now working effectively in Australia.

Communication and awareness between the affected stakeholders like Telkom, Transnet and the police is the second problem that needs to be addressed.

“A good flow of information and communication leads to quicker response times and more effective policing.”

The final issue is policing, where Strachan agrees with the DA's sentiment that copper theft needs its own crime code for proper case reporting and statistics.

She says police officers need to be specifically allocated to address this cable theft problem and export control must be enhanced.

“Border controls need to be improved. The technology in SA currently in use is outdated by about 15 years and is ineffective in identifying risks. There is only one operational container scanner, and having been present and watched it in use, it is not able to differentiate legitimate scrap from stolen scrap.”

The CEO says newer technology is available and should be implemented. “A combination of linking ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology with fixed and mobile scanners should ensure that all vehicles and containers passing through border points, harbour or land, are scanned and accurately recorded. If this is linked with RFID (radio frequency identification) in the identification or marking of the cables, no stolen materials will ever leave our borders.”

“The recycling industry can play a vital part in effectively reducing the theft of copper and aluminium, by merely being alerted timeously to which materials have been stolen and where they have been stolen from.

“This will enable the dealers to refuse the purchase of these goods, and thereby, prevent them from being sold into the market. If an item cannot be resold, it loses its value, even to the criminals,” says Strachan.

She says RASA has a stolen metal bulletin, with details of specific thefts, circulated by SMS and e-mail to all dealers within 24 hours of the information being received.

RASA is also trying to encourage public authorities and other bodies to recognise that information about metal thefts must be supplied promptly, in order to make the bulletins effective. It has also introduced a tool in the recycling industry's effort to fight material theft.

“ScrapTheftAlert.co.za is a new Web-based theft alert system that will allow law enforcement and affected stakeholders to alert recyclers of reported stolen material. It also allows recyclers to alert local police when they have received materials they believe might have been stolen.”

Any recyclers wishing to receive theft alerts in their area can simply register on the site with their name, cellphone number and e-mail information. All dealers will be verified, before being granted access.