Watch out for copper thieves!

[snopro]

Hey everybody in rural Alberta. We are seeing alot of thefts here in the county from copper thieves. They come in your yard at night stealing Aeration Bin cords, cut copper water tubing off old houses and steal whatever they feel important to them. The cops say this is going on all over rural Alberta because of the price of copper for resale at scrap dealers.

 

[deaner]

It blows my mind that these people will put in enough work to strip a house of its plumbing and wiring, but wont get a job. Even with the price of copper now I cant see the return being that great for the amount of work you would have to put in.

 

[summit1974]

It blows my mind that these people will put in enough work to strip a house of its plumbing and wiring, but wont get a job. Even with the price of copper now I cant see the return being that great for the amount of work you would have to put in.

this is true!!!it aint like robbing a bank thats for sure.I have seen the main power line to new houses stollen before the basement is backfilled.they only get ten ft at the most.its worth about 100-150 bones.it hardly covers the gas to do the leg work on the operation !!!I don't get it.

 

[Pines-rider]

The worst thing is the scrap dealers know it is stolen, yet they still buy it. Now steal from them and they would have the cops backing them up, yet they do not have to record who they buy from! They are the one who have created the market. With out a market there would be no demand! Without demand there would not be any theft! Vicious little circle! There is a sting for Drugs, how about a sting for wire theft! Set up a business and pay a premium over the regular scrap dealers, ( word travels) and start charging everyone who brings in stolen wire! Two fold here, all the crack heads would be in jail, putting the dealers out of business!

Just saying!!

 

[sweld]

I had some property for sale. They broke in to the shop and stole any copper wire that was visible I mean like pieces 6" long lol. Couldn't believe it when the realtor phoned and asked why I removed all the wiring

 

[Clode]

Its worth around $3.30 a pound, a real job would be less work

 

[LBZ]

Its worth around $3.30 a pound, a real job would be less work

Can't smoke meth while working at a real job though.

 

[snopro]

Isn't government not bringing in some legislation that scrap dealers will have to make the seller prove where he got the copper?

 

[joey]

if they come into my yard their going to have a few 100 pound German shepherds to deal with and you wont be-friend these dogs.

 

[john s]

Just leave a nice big pile of copper wire out in view rig it up to a 220 supply and sit back lol

 

[lilduke]

Can't smoke meth while working at a real job though.

you could be a truck driver...lol

 

[summit1974]

you need drivers license and registration at the two or three scrap yards i have bin too!they copy it and put you on file!!

 

[S.W.A.T.]

this is true!!!it aint like robbing a bank thats for sure.I have seen the main power line to new houses stollen before the basement is backfilled.they only get ten ft at the most.its worth about 100-150 bones.it hardly covers the gas to do the leg work on the operation !!!I don't get it.

Gas is covered because the truck is stolen, all the tools are stolen, plus mid-way through the month the welfare check comes in so that's like getting a over time bonus. Hour to hour they are probably making more money then us fools with honest jobs.

 

[Pines-rider]

Yes they take all the info, but they run two sets of books! One for them and one for the police! They probably sell copper for 2 - 3 times what they pay, and don't want to loose their best suppliers! It is all supply and demand. They get caught and cant pay so they go to jail and fed 3 squares a day and get out in 1/2 time for time spent in remand! No wonder the police dont try very hard to catch these guys as they spend it in court only to have judge let them go. Jail needs to be jail, where they never want to return, not just a "Club Fed" where they sit around and exercise. Have them up at 6 am, working hard packing stones across the yard one day and then back the next day!

Just saying!!!

 

[CUSO]

I don't believe this is true.

The re-cyclers are more than aware of the theft problem and are mandated to take info. Alberta Queen's Printer:

I pulled out some old copper/brass from a house reno, it was a main 3"-4" drain. Even though it was 50 + years old, they took my license and plate number.

I still got like 70$ for a 6 foot piece.

I would like to see anyone roll in a large spool of new copper without proof that it wasn't theft, and not get caught.

The worst thing is the scrap dealers know it is stolen, yet they still buy it. Now steal from them and they would have the cops backing them up, yet they do not have to record who they buy from! They are the one who have created the market. With out a market there would be no demand! Without demand there would not be any theft! Vicious little circle! There is a sting for Drugs, how about a sting for wire theft! Set up a business and pay a premium over the regular scrap dealers, ( word travels) and start charging everyone who brings in stolen wire! Two fold here, all the crack heads would be in jail, putting the dealers out of business!

Just saying!!

 

[CUSO]

Do you really think they have 2 sets of books?? LOL

Yes they take all the info, but they run two sets of books! One for them and one for the police! They probably sell copper for 2 - 3 times what they pay, and don't want to loose their best suppliers! It is all supply and demand. They get caught and cant pay so they go to jail and fed 3 squares a day and get out in 1/2 time for time spent in remand! No wonder the police dont try very hard to catch these guys as they spend it in court only to have judge let them go. Jail needs to be jail, where they never want to return, not just a "Club Fed" where they sit around and exercise. Have them up at 6 am, working hard packing stones across the yard one day and then back the next day!

Just saying!!!

 

[doorfx]

Everytime I take my scrap aluminum (cladding) to federal metals in Calgary they ask to see my drivers license even though most of them know me. They take your license number and business name and keep it on file. I have even had them call me when I sent an employee and they did not have his license on file. I don't know if this is the norm as I don't deal anywhere else but it seems they are being conscientious. I suppose there is always a way around it ie; fake license, fake business. On the other side I guess there will always be unscrupulous business owners

 

[woody_tobius_jr]

We had our county road rebuilt about 5 years ago now, and they never re-buried the phone line, every fall the line gets cut from the swathers and our phones are dead for about a week or so and then they come patch it, then the combines come and cut it again, so this last time when our phones went down we were waiting for telus to come and make another splice, when they finally showed up they said that someone cut our line and took some,I said, what, did somebody take a couple feet of line? He says, nah, closer to a kilometre of it. Pretty ballsy, because they did it in broad daylight

 

[Summiteer]

this is true!!!it aint like robbing a bank thats for sure.I have seen the main power line to new houses stollen before the basement is backfilled.they only get ten ft at the most.its worth about 100-150 bones.it hardly covers the gas to do the leg work on the operation !!!I don't get it.

Those are the smart ones. Most houses are fed with Aluminium, worth next to nothing. 10 feet of #2 aluminum would fetch maybe $2 as scrap.

 

[steveo10]

Ive been doing lots of substation work in the last year and the construction guys have to have night security, cause the copper is always getting stolen