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Metal theft is "the theft of items for the value of their constituent metals". It usually increases when worldwide prices for scrap metal rise, as has happened dramatically due to rapid industrialization in India and China. Apart from like gold and silver, the metals most commonly stolen are non-ferrous metals such as copper, aluminium, brass, and bronze. However, even cast iron and steel are seeing higher rates of theft due to increased scrap metal prices.
One defining characteristic of metal theft is the motivation. Whereas other items are generally stolen for their extrinsic value, items involved in metal theft are stolen for their intrinsic value as raw material or commodities. Thefts often have negative consequences much greater than the value of the metal stolen, such as the destruction of valuable statues, power interruptions, and the disruption of railway traffic, or the thieves in question becoming a path to ground, resulting in electrocution.
Some elected officials and law enforcement officials have concluded that many metal thefts are by drug addicts stealing metal in order to fund their addictions. Some officials believe that many of these drug-related metal thefts are caused by methamphetamine users; however, this varies by the location of the metal being stolen. Another explanation for the phenomenon is the unusually high price of non-ferrous metals coupled with elevated levels of unemployment. Regardless of the reason, the industrialization of developing nations helps to increase the demand for scrap metal.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, world market prices for metals like copper, aluminium, and platinum dropped steeply. Although there is anecdotal evidence that this price decrease has led to fewer metal thefts, strong empirical research on the exact nature of the relationship between commodity prices and metal thefts is still lacking. Some have argued that the "genie is out of the bottle" now and drops in commodity prices will not result in corresponding drops in thefts. In fact, it is possible that thefts may actually increase to compensate for the loss in value.
As of December 2014 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau the number of insurance claims for metal theft has been decreasing in the U.S possibly because of dropping scrap metal prices.
in the United States alone, metal theft costs the economy $1 billion annually, according to Department of Energy estimates. As of 2008 It was estimated that South Africa lost approximately 5 billion Rand annually due to metal theft. As of 2008 metal theft was the fastest growing crime in the UK with the annual damage to industry estimated at [[£|Pound sterling]]360m. Thieves often cause damage far in excess of the value they recover by selling stolen metal as scrap. For example, thieves who strip copper [[plumbing]] and electrical wiring from houses render the residences uninhabitable without expensive, time-consuming repairs.
In May 2013 the Westbahn near Amstetten had to be closed for safety reasons; grounding copper wires had been stolen; The copper stolen was worth €2,000, but total damages to the station cost upwards of €30,000.
In July 2013 in Lower Austria () of copper wire worth less than €1,000 was stolen from a railway transformer station. The damage to the railways electronics cost €140,000.
In November 2015 a man burnt to death in Vienna in an empty building, one which had a 100 kV cable that went through the basement. The police found three people alive and assumed that they had been attempting to steal copper.
In May 2016, police caught several people that had stolen several tons of copper wire from a substation and caused 400,000 € worth of damage in Lower Austria.
In October 2010, a bronze bell was stolen in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. Thieves removed the bell from a monument in Roseway Cemetery. The bell was part of the Roseway United Memorial Church, built in 1912, until it was demolished in 1993. It was recovered in a Halifax-area scrapyard October 6, 2010.
In September 2011, Peterborough, Ontario, experienced a four-hour power outage north of the city when thieves stole power transmission wires.
A ten-tonne railway bridge and of railway trackage, from the town of Horní Slavkov in the Karlovy Vary Region was dismantled and removed by a gang of thieves who presented forged papers saying that the bridge had been condemned. The bridge was erected in 1901.
Several in the Java Sea were discovered to have been allegedly removed by Chinese metal scavengers. The wrecks of , , and had been totally removed. A sizable portion of was also scavenged.
The wrecks of , , and were also missing.
There has been a rising concern that other war graves in the Java Sea and surrounding seas are at risk of desecration by Chinese metal scavengers.
In the UK, the British Metals Recycling Association is working with authorities such as the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Transport Police to halt the problem of metal being stolen from its members' sites and to identify stolen materials. Also see Operation Tremor.
Roofs, , statues etc. have all been increasingly targeted recently due to the rising cost of metal. Most of the time metal is sold for scrap, but occasionally it is used by the thieves themselves. There have been many stories of metal theft; a bronze statue of former Olympic champion Steve Ovett disappeared from Preston Park in Brighton and church bells in Devon were stolen by thieves. A statue made by Henry Moore and estimated to be worth £300,000 was stolen from a museum in 2006, and believed to have been melted down for its scrap value of around £5,000. Churches, especially older churches, suffer as 'lead theft' from church (and other) roofs is on the rise.
In late 2011 the police began a number of crackdowns on metal theft, the largest in South Yorkshire resulting in at least 22 arrests and the seizure of amateur smelting equipment. In August 2012, thieves stole 26 metal cages from an animal hospital in Kibworth, Leicestershire. Cages containing sick or injured animals were emptied by the thieves, leading to the death of eight animals and the escape of several others. The cages were worth about £30,000.
Theft of copper cable by the side of has also become increasingly a problem. Railway signal control cables are a common target, leading to serious safety issues and significant disruption for rail traffic. Theft of cables used for railway electrification is extremely dangerous to the perpetrator as well as bystanders as these systems are routinely energised to tens of thousands of volts.
In New Castle, Pennsylvania, two brothers dismantled a bridge by using a cutting torch to take it apart. Between September 16 and September 28, 2011, the brothers stole the entire bridge and then sold the steel for $5,000.
Cities across the United States have become targets for metal thieves. Manhole cover thefts increased dramatically between 2007 and 2008, with Philadelphia as one of the hardest hit targets. Other cities dealing with this trend include Chicago, Illinois; Greensboro, North Carolina, Long Beach, California; and Palm Beach County, Florida.
Copper wire thefts have also become increasingly common in the US. With copper prices at $3.70 a pound , compared to $0.60 a pound in 2002, people have been increasingly stealing copper wire from telephone and power company assets. People have even been injured and killed in power plants while trying to obtain copper wire. Other sources of stolen copper include railroad signal lines, grounding bars at electric substations, and even a bell stolen from a Buddhist temple in Tacoma, Washington, which was later recovered.
For example, Georgia, like many other states, has seen enough copper crime that a special task force has been created to fight it. The Metro Atlanta Copper Task Force is led by the Atlanta Police Department and involves police and recyclers from surrounding metro areas, Georgia Power, and the Fulton County District Attorney's office.
Many states around the nation have passed – or are exploring – legislation to combat the problem. A new Georgia law took effect in July 2007 making it a crime to knowingly buy stolen metal. It allows prosecutors to prosecute for the actual cost of returning property to original conditions, as many of these thefts dramatically hurt the surrounding property value.
On September 1, 2007, Earl Thelander of Onawa, Iowa, became the United States' first innocent copper theft fatality. Thelander sustained second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body during an August 28, 2007, explosion, after copper thieves stripped propane and water lines from a rural residence and let the home fill with gas. Thelander, who, along with his wife, was preparing the empty home for a new tenant, reported the burglary to the Monona County Sheriff's Office, who investigated the initial crime. Hours after local law enforcement sent the Thelanders home, Thelander returned to the home to see if officials had cleared the home for entry. With no law enforcement nor fire department personnel present, he entered the home, and, smelling no fumes, felt it safe to work. In the basement, he plugged in a fan to help dry water on the basement floor, the electricity sparking an explosion.
In response to the growing concerns and the lack of hard numbers on these crimes in Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and the University of Indianapolis Community Research Center (CRC) began in 2008 a collaborative effort to collect data on metal thefts. The Indianapolis Metal Theft Project gathers and analyzes a wide variety of data to provide a clearer understanding of the incidence, types, costs, and impacts of metal theft in Indianapolis in order to inform and implement strategies to reduce these crimes and their impacts.
The Department of Justice's Office of Community-Oriented Policing and the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing published its 58th problem-solving guide in 2010 directed towards theft of scrap metal. Brandon Kooi provides a review of the problem in the US and internationally, followed by a number of suggested responses and what to consider in those responses.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries is one of the groups backing these educational efforts throughout the country. As the nation's trade association for the scrap recycling industry, ISRI provides members and community leaders with resources that they can use when facing the issue. They have also teamed with the National Crime Prevention Council (known for McGruff the Crime Dog and the "Take a Bite Out of Crime" slogan) in an effort to team with law enforcement and crime prevention organizations to fight and solve this problem, and have established a theft alert system that these groups can use. ISRI and the National Crime Prevention Council offer a number of tips for how to fight and prevent metal theft, including requiring photo ID and license plate information for every transaction, training employees on identifying stolen goods, and keeping good records that might be useful later.
Metal and cable theft in the country has left several neighborhoods and universities nationwide without electricity, internet or telephone service, and has led to the deterioration of utilities and infrastructure throughout Venezuela. By 2017, Venezuelan police forces had arrested over 100 people in different operations against and confiscated 7.5 tons in copper pipes. The copper originated mostly from the capital Caracas and the neighboring states of Aragua and Carabobo, and was destined for other countries in the region. Part of it was found on a ship heading from the Falcón coastal state to the Caribbean.
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Netherlands
On 11 January 2011, the theft of of copper cable caused an ICE train to derail near the Dutch city of Zevenaar. Nobody was harmed.
Russia
In 2001, thieves in Khabarovsk Krai stole electric and telephone lines leading to military bases there. A small bridge was stolen in Russia in 2007, when a man chopped up its 5-meter span and hauled it away.
South Africa
Metal theft in South Africa is rampant, with an estimated R5 billion per annum lost due to the theft. The stolen metal ranges from copper cables, piping, bolts to manhole covers. The theft continuously disrupts and degrades services, such as the power supply provided by Eskom and the telecommunication services by Telkom SA. Eskom estimated that the theft has cost the company about R25 million per annum, with incidents increasing from 446 incidents in 2005; 1,059 in 2007 and 1,914 in 2008. The theft has cost Telkom R863 million (April 2007 – January 2008 period). Despite the minimal copper reserve South Africa has, as much as 3000 tonnes of copper leave Cape Town harbour every month. Aside from the economic impact, the theft also impacted people's lives, this includes the death of six children due to theft of manhole covers (2004–2008 figures). The theft of copper cables is a serious problem in Gauteng.
Ukraine
In February 2004, thieves in western Ukraine dismantled and stole an long, one-tonne steel bridge that spanned the river Svalyavka. In September 2009, smugglers attempted to make off with 25 tons of radioactive scrap metal from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The Security Service of Ukraine caught them.
United Kingdom
Significant rises in metal theft were observed during 2006–2007 in the UK, especially in North East England, where metal theft was still on the rise .
United States
In Boston during the summer of 2008, two state employees stole of decorative iron trim that had been removed from the Longfellow Bridge for refurbishment and sold it for scrap. The men, one of whom was a Department of Conservation and Recreation district manager, were charged with receiving $12,147 for the historic original parapet coping. The estimated cost to remake the pieces, scheduled for replication by 2012, was over $500,000. The men were later convicted, in September 2009.
Venezuela
In the 2010s, during the crisis in Venezuela, metal theft in Venezuela increased, including the smuggling of metals such as bronze, aluminum and copper. Several groups responsible for the thefts were identified nationwide that were made up of "experts" in wiring and that hired neighbors to carry out the thefts. The groups have targeted mostly electrical contractor firms, but also electrical cable from public and private infrastructure, including schools, universities, health centers, charcoal briquette factories, traffic lights, light poles, and in some cases individual homes. Thefts would sell scrap to intermediaries, which in turn would sell the scrap to legal smelters and manufacturers in Venezuela or smuggle it illegally across the border. By 2017, in the Colombian frontier city of Cúcuta, a kilo of copper could be sold for a little over $1, an important income at a time where the minimum wage in Venezuela was $5.
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