Today, Wednesday July 14, Gloucestershire police have been taking part in a national day of action to tackle metal thefts. Metal theft is a growing problem in the UK. Nationally there has been a marked rise in the number of thefts in the last six months with railways, utilities substations, businesses, houses and even road grids and manhole covers being targeted by criminals.

It’s thought that the increased desirability for metal has been fuelled by an all time high in the price of various types of metal and that such thefts cost UK businesses around £770million each year, although it is difficult to put a true cost on the impact this crime has.

Today’s day of action has seen more than 20 police forces in England, Scotland and Wales, including Gloucestershire Constabulary, targeting thieves and scrap yards; the method of choice for criminals to sell on their stolen metal.

Chief Inspector Steve McGrory said; “In Gloucestershire we have seen thefts of domestic gas pipes and lead flashing from homes, schools and churches by criminals looking to make a quick profit.

“We are keen to see these thefts come to an end and to bring offenders to justice and that’s why we were eager to get involved in this day of action.

“As part of the day of action we have been carrying out ‘Operation Ingot’ which has involved officers visiting scrap metal dealers in the county to ensure they are abiding by their licences, checking for potential stolen property and encouraging dealers to report any incidents where they feel they are being sold stolen items.

“We are pleased to report that we received the full co-operation of the nine dealers we visited and we were satisfied that each of them were working within their licences. By working together in this way we hope to both deter and prevent future thefts and attempts by thieves to sell the stolen items on to such businesses.”

Since July 2009 there have been 336 of thefts of metal across Gloucestershire.

The Deputy Chief Constable of British Transport Police and national lead on metal theft for the Association of Chief Police Officers, Paul Crowther, is overseeing the national day of action.

DCC Crowther said; “The aim of the day of action is to send a clear message that metal and cable theft is unacceptable and police and industry are working together to address the problem.

“Key to this is the work we are doing with the British Metal Recycling Association, as the majority of metal thieves look to make money by selling their stolen metal on to scrap dealers.

“Often these dealers are unaware that the metal is stolen and can find themselves out of pocket when checks carried out by police result in the material being seized.

“It is imperative that we continue to work with the BMRA to educate scrap yards, stop them from unwittingly taking in stolen metal and, in turn, reduce the opportunities for thieves to make money.

“No one organisation can deal with metal theft in isolation. But, collectively, and through partnership working, we can make a difference.”