Copper cable theft is on the rise in Alberta, according to Telus

“We’ve seen a 67 per cent increase in cable thefts across Alberta since the same time last year, which includes 250 copper thefts,” she said.

She suspects the reason for the increase is because copper is an extremely valuable commodity across the world.

“The challenge for Canada is that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime so a lot of the time these thieves are getting charged for theft under $5,000, which is the same as stealing a bicycle,” she added. “They’re getting very sophisticated and are going to extreme lengths to get some of this copper.”

She said some of the ways the thieves are stealing the copper are by dressing like legitimate workers, climbing towers, going into man holes, and breaking into pedestals.

She explained the impacts of the theft can be quite severe, especially if there’s time needed for repairs. The impacts include the inability to call 911 when needed, people can’t call their families, and local businesses can’t complete payments. Sometimes critical services like hospitals can also be affected.

“Copper theft doesn’t just disrupt the ability to communicate but it can put peoples lives at risk,” she added.

To solve the problem, Martin said with the government and law enforcement need to have stronger deterrents and tougher penalties for theft as well as more coordination with police to target repeat offenders and organized groups. There also needs to be continued public support to report any suspicious activity.

“We have very strong partnerships with other industries who are experiencing similar issues and we work very closely with law enforcement,” she said. “We’re all committed to pushing greater deterrents. In addition to that, we end up having to do a lot of prevention in terms of installing alarms, putting in specialized fencing, and security alarms to ensure our infrastructure is safe.”

Meantime, in a statement from the Red Deer RCMP, they explained there’s been 15 files since August in central Alberta where copper wire is mentioned, which includes incidents where suspicious persons are transporting what is believed to be stolen wire but not confirmed.

However, out of these different incidents, only one was confirmed to be related to Telus.

“We recognize that copper theft can be costly and disruptive to the community, and we take it seriously,” said Red Deer RCMP Cst. Cory Riggs.

“Our officers are conducting regular patrols in areas where these crimes are more likely to occur, and we’re working closely with local partners, including utilities and scrap metal businesses, to identify suspicious activity. We also encourage residents to report anything unusual they see around construction sites, power lines, or utility infrastructure. By combining enforcement, community awareness, and partnerships, we’re taking steps to prevent copper theft and hold offenders accountable.”

by rdnewsNOW staff

Copper cable theft is on the rise in Alberta, according to Telus

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