Thieves leave residents out of pocket
COPPER thieves are leaving homeowners frustrated and out of pocket, as copper pipe theft soars in residential areas.
Despite crime prevention operations to clamp down on copper thieves and illegal scrap dealers, the problem continues unabated with many residents complaining it is “not a petty crime anymore”.
Roland Naidoo, a pensioner from Bayview, said despite the many measures he had put in place to keep thieves out of his yard, his copper pipes were stolen three times in two months.
“The damages were extensive as the geyser had also been damaged during the second and third robbery.
“We spent over R10 000 to repair the geyser and replace the pipes. After the third robbery, we installed plastic pipes. We just cannot afford to continuously incur these costs,” he said.
Mellissia Padayachee, from Phoenix, said she and her husband were both unemployed, and when their home was stripped of the copper pipes and electricity cables, she had to save money for two months to replace the pipes and damages.
“Many pensioners have also been targeted. Our area has become a hot spot for these types of crimes. The neighbourhood watch volunteers intensified patrols and helped drive out these criminals,” she said.
Mark Nadasen, chairperson of the Phoenix CPF, said during the holidays, several local schools had been hit for their copper pipes. He said there had been more incidents of copper theft in the area than any other crimes.
“In the last week, over three days, the schools were hit badly. Sadly, security at schools is minimal and is not a deterrent for these thieves,” he said.
In one school, members of the CPF and security guards chased and caught the man who stripped the school of the copper pipes.
“He was arrested and charged. The CPF has set up a team with three shifts – from 11pm to 4am – to monitor the copper theft.
“We are urging people who live around the schools to be more vigilant. Security companies work together with the CPF and police to stop copper theft, but we need the community to be on the lookout and report these culprits.”
Nadesan said coupled with the ongoing water cuts, copper theft added to the residents’ frustration.
“When homes are stripped of copper pipes, water gushes out and alerts us to the theft. With the water outages, it is difficult to tell when the pipes are stolen.
“Only when the water is restored, then the resident is alerted. Costs to repair damages and replace the pipes run into the thousands of rand that not everyone can afford,” he said.
“There has also been a drastic increase in the number of illegal scrap yards opening in Phoenix. We have seen them in Palmview, Sastri Park, White City, Eastbury, the industrial park area and recently a new one popped up in Inanda.
“They have created a market for these thieves who steal copper pipes and cables. A drug addict will sell R700 worth of copper for a mere R100.
“We believe this industry has mushroomed in the residential areas to make it easy for the people who steal to take it to them,” he said.
Five scrap yards in the Phoenix area have been closed down in the past two months.
“They were operating without a licence to operate in a residential area. There had been reports that some of them had been found with copper.
“The fines are hefty, but illegal scrap yards operate out of business hours. Informants need to tell us where and when the activity is happening. Then we report it to the police, who will conduct their investigations and close in on the dealer,” he added.
Rocky Naidoo, of the Bayview CPF, said they had noted an increase in copper theft in the Bayview, Silverglen and Mobeni Heights.
“The problem is that people are not reporting the cases. When we speak to the CPFs and civic associations, we are told there are way more incidents than those reported.
“There are also many reports But these cases are not reported to the police, so they do not have the correct statistics. So how can they effectively combat this crime and put operations in place?” he asked.
Last week, Naidoo said only three cases had been reported to police. He added that local security companies had also been assisting to fight this scourge.
“Bayview police work with the security companies to conduct crime prevention operations, and jointly they have closed down scrap dealers that have not been compliant.
“Recently, schools in Chatsworth have also been targeted. Chatsworth Secondary School, over a period, had been stripped of all its copper pipes.
“A pre-school in Havenside was stripped of copper pipes and electricity cables. Religious organisations have also been targeted.
“We applaud the Bayview police for a job well done.
“Detectives worked around the clock and last week, a suspect was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of copper theft,” Naidoo added.