Metal thieves in firing line
City welcomes new law which will see perpetrators facing stiff fines, sentences
THE CITY’S Copperheads Unit, which polices cable and metal theft, has welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s decision to sign into law the Criminal Matters and Amendment Act which criminalises the theft of metals and damage to essential infrastructure.
And if convicted of stealing cables or damaging train coaches, criminals face a stiff penalty of up to 30 years in prison or fines of up to R100 million.
Richard Bosman, the executive director for safety and security in the city council said, it was about time the new Bill was passed.
“The City of Cape Town welcome the amendment. It is something that we have been wanting for a long time.”
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, added that he could not wait for the Copperheads to bring their first test case before a court.
“We have repeatedly bemoaned the lack of seriousness accorded to cases of metal theft since the establishment of the unit – in spite of the overwhelming evidence that this type of crime not only inconveniences residents, costs local administrations hundreds of millions of rand in repairing and replacing damaged infrastructure, but also impacts the economy.
“We have had a number of instances where offenders are released on bail for just a few hundred rand and where convictions happen, these are usually just a slap on the wrist which means they are back on the streets committing the same crimes.
“There’ve been several repeat offenders arrested by the unit over the years.
“With these amendments, we hope that suspects will find it more difficult to get bail, but also that they’ll serve longer sentences which will hopefully serve as a deterrent to others,” Smith said.
The Copperheads is an elite task team of specially trained officers which was established in 2007 to combat the theft of non-ferrous metals, which is rife in Cape Town.
According to the city council, the unit follows up on leads in order to arrest cable thieves, and investigates scrap metal dealers to ensure they comply with the law by not buying stolen property.
The Criminal Matters and Amendment Act introduces tougher bail conditions and possible jail terms of up to 30 years and fines of up to R100m on convictions for a new offence – tampering, interference and the destruction of essential infrastructure which may prejudice the livelihood, well-being, daily operations or economic activity of the public will be more harshly dealt with.
Essential infrastructure, both publicly or privately-owned, covers installations, facilities, structures or systems to deliver basic services.
This includes electricity lines, railways, services using copper cables and water supply
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16
2015 and sanitation infrastructure.
Bosman said it was now up to the justice system to investigate and prosecute criminals accordingly.
He said they depended on intelligence to catch cable and copper thieves.
“We look at the trends and analyse them; we also have surveillance cameras installed in different areas and often patrol hot spots.”
Metrorail regional manager Richard Walker welcomed the amendment.
He said he condemned copper theft which had a devastating impact on the rail service.
Walker said: “It is deplorable that for the sake of a few metres of copper cable, thousands of commuters can be severely affected.
“We look forward to successful arrests, denial of bail and hefty sentences to eradicate copper theft within the rail system.”
Metrorail records about 200 incidents of cable theft annually, which leaves thousands of commuters stranded.
It was reported that at least 10 percent of delays and cancellations in the Western Cape are linked to cable theft, thus costing the company R167m in repairs, last year.
This year, at least 14 Metrorail carriages have been burnt as a result of suspected arson attacks.