Cameras to focus in on cable theft menace

Film footage taken from a covert camera in the Leeds area recently revealed two men stealing five metres of cable from under a bridge.

The cameras have been placed on known hotspot locations on the railway lines by police and Network Rail.

Det Sgt Granville Sellers, from British Transport Police’s Operation Leopard, said: “Technological and forensic advances are making life more and more difficult for cable thieves and are increasing the opportunities for BTP to detect criminals.

“Gaining access to the line is not only illegal but extremely dangerous. Anyone who trespasses onto the railway is taking a gamble with their own lives, as well as the lives of all the staff and passengers travelling on the trains.”

Det Sgt Sellers added: “The theft of cable has a direct impact on the everyday lives of the travelling public; it really is an attack on the community. The act of stealing cable is also an extremely dangerous crime which is costly to the rail industry and to the thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network.

The route director for Network Rail, Richard Lungmuss, claimed cable theft is “causing misery” to thousands of passengers each week. He added: “This has to stop. Not only are they causing massive inconvenience but they are costing the rail industry and the wider economy millions.”

“We have CCTV cameras and other technology on the tracks to protect our network and we are determined to stop the thieves,” Det Sgt Sellers said.

Anyone with any information is asked to call British Transport Police on Freefone 0800 405040 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. Anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction could receive a £1,000 reward.