Final crackdown on special metal thefts
A new scheme to tackle the problem of metal theft has launched, making it easier to trace sellers of scrap metal and harder to pass on illegitimately obtained copper and other metals.
Operation Tornado is starting as a trial project in the north east of England, and will require people who are selling scrap metal to provide proof of their identity and address.
According to British Transport Police, more than £13m worth of metal has been stolen from the railways. The force says that the thefts are one of their biggest challenges after terrorism.
‘A human as well as an economic impact’
In a statement, the police said: “There is a human as well as an economic impact. While communities have lost power or communications, people miss appointments, interviews, flights. Churches and householders have had to replace roofs, councils replace manhole covers, and even plaques have been taken from a cemetery.”
