Mark Schofield: Don’t punish the scrap dealers who are fighting at frontline to cut the toll of metal thieves

Metal merchants are already legally obliged to record all the information necessary to prove that a customer sold metal to them.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 requires us to record names, addresses, vehicle details, description, amount, time, date and value. In addition, the customer signs a receipt for the amount paid.

This information has to be stored in a book called a police book and is available for the police to view or copy at any time.

The photocopying of photo ID would only confirm what is already known, it certainly will not prove theft. The vast majority of sites already have CCTV – unfortunately, it will not film the criminal on the church roof stealing lead.

On top of this, all scrap yards are classed as waste disposal sites and as such have to maintain a similar regime to conform with environmental permitting regulations. This is stored in the form of waste transfer notes, again available for inspection.

The suggestion that stopping cash transactions will prevent the theft of metal is wishful thinking. The sort of person who will risk their life to steal live electric cable or stoop to stealing from a church will not be deterred by having to cash a cheque.

There is a very high probability that these same people cash benefit cheques. The metal dealer already has signed proof of the receipt of money paid, a cheque is merely duplicating this.

The one weak link is the possibility of a false name being used, however my own experience is that these people are safe in the knowledge that the use of their real name along with their registration number will almost never lead to them being convicted of any offence.

Most metal dealers are already asking for proof of ID. This, in my experience, always confirms that correct identification is being used – anyone unable or unwilling to provide ID will be asked to move on. We also refuse customers on foot, on bicycles and in taxis.

This latter point is mostly at the request of the police, but the effectiveness of this policy is questionable. To suggest that someone on a bicycle or on foot is bound to have stolen the metal in their possession is nonsense.

The fact that someone may not own a car does not make them into a thief. Should this same person turn up in a relative or friend’s car, is it then okay to purchase material from them? The police are asking us to be judge and jury, to assume guilt and convict, all at a glance.

I made this point to a policeman recently and asked why the police didn’t use this method of conviction. Needless to say, he wasn’t impressed. How long before one of these excluded minorities sues for some form of discrimination or breach of human rights?

The belief that scrap dealers are always willing accomplices to the perpetrators of metal thefts is absolute nonsense, a stereotype in the minds of people with little or no knowledge of the metal recycling industry.

This is an industry that recycles around 13 million tonnes a year and generates billions for the UK economy. The companies involved have no wish to handle stolen material and will generally do their best not to accept it. Should a scrap metal dealer be found in possession of stolen goods, at the very least he will have to forfeit them.

Should he be convicted, then the Scrap Metal Dealers Act allows strict trading terms to be imposed on the person or business involved. In other words there are already robust laws in place to deal with errant metal traders.

On the occasions when I have to defend the scrap metal recycling industry against misinformation and badly researched reports in the media, a common retort is: “Yes, but what about the dodgy yards, the bent ones?”

My answer is: “What about the bent politicians, police, solicitors, doctors, financial advisors and journalists?” Don’t tar us all with the same brush.

Perhaps the answer is  visible police presence and a little old fashioned police work that does not depend on the presence of DNA. Our police force in its present state appears to have given up on the far more logical, prevention, rather than detection of crime.

For, in my very considerable experience, the largest problem groups involved in metal thefts are drug addicts, travellers and more recently, judging from talk within the trade, eastern Europeans.

Addicts have discovered that it is e asier to fund their habit by selling metal rather than breaking into cars or property. Some of these addicts are merely rummaging through skips, not all are on the local church roof stealing lead. Again one is asked to assume automatic guilt.

Our own business has had material stolen eight times this year. In July eastern Europeans stole £40,000 worth of copper from our site. In this instance we did obtain DNA from one of the thieves, although at least a dozen people were involved.

The only meaningful attempts to trace the stolen material have been my own, I do not intend this as criticism as the officer dealing with our case has been helpful and diligent,

However, restraints on her time caused by shift work, tracking down this summer’s rioters, court appearances and holidays seem to swing the pendulum of law in the criminal’s favour.

My own family have recycled on the same site since 1876, my children are sixth generation in our family business. We are proud of what we do, we  work hard, comply with badly drafted legislation, we supply UK  manufacturers with a top quality product, pay licence fees and taxes for the privilege and in return we are been vilified due to misinformation.

Another little reported fact is that businesses like our own regularly inform the police of attempts to sell what appears to be stolen metal, passing on vehicle details. The police usually tell us that they are unable to act on the strength of our suspicions alone.

The last thing that our industry needs in these difficult economic times is to be burdened with more legislation caused by a crowd-pleasing kneejerk reaction.