Cellphone tower battery thieves caught
THE police are closing in on one of the major syndicates operating in the Durban metro area that vandalise and steal batteries from cellphone towers.
The theft of cellphone tower batteries has been on the increase in Durban in recent months, threatening to leave entire communities without communication.
This is according to Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy, who was speaking after a joint operation between the SAPS, members of the community and private security teams from Vodacom and MTN recovered 80 batteries and arrested two suspects over the weekend.
SAPS spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a case of possession of suspected stolen property is being investigated by Ndwedwe SAPS.
“It is alleged that on January 11, two suspects were arrested in the Ntaphuka area after they were found in possession of eight lead acid backup batteries,” said Gwala.
She said the Umhlali K9 unit and a team of detectives from Ndwedwe SAPS proceeded to Brickfield, where another 72 batteries were recovered.
“The suspects, aged 23 and 25, will appear (today) in the Ndwedwe Magistrate’s Court,” said Gwala.
Kennedy said the mobile communication company was happy with the outcome of the operation.
“The suspects belong to a syndicate that has long targeted batteries from the base station sites of local cellphone providers across KwaZulu-Natal,” said Kennedy.
He said the operation demonstrated that the company’s appeal to partner with members of the community and SAPS to clamp down on site vandalism and battery theft was yielding positive results. Kennedy said Vodacom had hundreds of base stations across all provinces, many of which were in isolated, rural areas.
“These base stations are increasingly being targeted for theft and vandalism, which can leave entire communities without communication and causes millions of rand worth of damage,” he said.
He added that the network operator spent a lot of money to increase security at its base stations and this excluded replacements necessitated by theft or acts of vandalism.
“It is estimated that local cellphone network providers lose millions of rand worth of damage to base stations annually as a result of theft and vandalism, ” said Kennedy.
But more important than the monetary impact, said Kennedy, was the fact that criminals were cutting off entire communities. “We repeatedly see situations where people can’t make emergency calls and are put in danger. Sooner or later these criminals will cost someone their life,” he said.
Vodacom is appealing to members of the community to report incidents of battery theft or site vandalism by calling their toll free number 0822419952 or SAPS on 10111.