Three large-scale telecommunications outages since May have exposed vulnerabilities in northwest B.C.'s communications network. Politicians are calling for tougher penalties for copper theft and great...

Thieves have been capitalizing on the gains in copper value, officials say, with thefts costing Canadian utilities and charging companies more than $1 million in the past year.

(Kingston, Ontario) The Frontenac County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are requesting public assistance the theft of a large amount of copper wire in South Frontenac Township.

Allen Wu, a home builder in Windsor, has faced repeated copper wire thefts at his student housing project near the University of Windsor, prompting calls for increased police presence and government support. The thefts, which have occurred four times this summer, involve overnight vandalism and the removal of electrical cables, costing the project thousands in repairs. Despite reporting the incidents to police, Windsor authorities have not responded to requests for comment. Wu criticizes the lack of support for developers, noting that while the government encourages housing construction, there is no infrastructure to combat crime. The mayor's office suggested hiring private security, but Wu and his partners, already burdened by high application and inspection fees, argue that the issue affects all construction sites in the area. Industry leaders like Norbert Bolger of the Windsor-Essex Home Builders' Association acknowledge the problem as a regional challenge, with some municipalities implementing stricter regulations on scrap metal transactions. Federal and local authorities are also addressing the issue, as copper theft threatens essential infrastructure and has led to significant repair costs. The article highlights the broader impact of this crime on housing development and community safety.

Copper theft has picked up over the past year after taking a dip from the last high a decade ago, and it's making Tucson Department of Transportation prioritize where it makes repairs to streetlights.

Bulls Primary School recently experienced a copper theft, prompting concern from local officials and the community.

Chile dismantled a $917M copper-theft ring on Apr 8, 2026, that routed ore to China, raising compliance costs and supply-chain risk for miners and traders.

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Copper theft is causing widespread internet outages! Thieves are targeting fiber optic cables for their copper, impacting services like Spectrum & Eurostar. Discover the shocking rise in vandalism & what's being done to stop it. #coppertheft #internetoutage #fiberoptic #crime #news Published Date 2025-06-27 Tools used for generation Text Gemini Narator Azure TTS Clips Pexel Rendering Remotion

A south-east Queensland man is in hospital after cutting into a live 11,000-volt cable. Copper theft in Qld has tripled since 2020, costing Energex $4.5m a year.

- Just in case you needed another reason to think twice about taking an international flight, numerous people have fallen victim to " baggag...

The global surge in copper theft from electric vehicle charging stations is disrupting critical green transport infrastructure and eroding public confidence,

(Kingston, Ontario) The Frontenac County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are requesting public assistance the theft of a large amount of copper wire in South Frontenac Township.

As copper wire thieves target lights on Phoenix-area freeways, ADOT is deploying a high-tech strategy to deter crooks. The state agency is adding sensors to electrical boxes on commonly targeted freeways. Officials say they’re already hearing success stories. Molly McBride has more. STORY: #Phoenix #Arizona #ADOT #Freeway #SR51 #Loop101 #I17 #I10 #CopperTheft #Crime #TrafficAlert #publicsafety For more Local News from KPHO: For more YouTube Content:

Erongo Red loses over N$500,000 monthly to copper theft NBC Online Wed, 08/20/2025 - 18:46

[Namibian] An unknown suspect allegedly stole material worth N$664 440 from Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) boreholes at Kuisebmond, Walvis Bay, on Friday.

[Namibian] The Zambezi police arrested two men in connection with the alleged theft of electric copper cables at Bukalo village on Monday.

Copper theft suspects appear in Ngoma Court NBC Online Thu, 07/17/2025 - 15:28

Erongo Regional Electricity Distributor (Erongored) chief executive Tino !Hanabeb says the entity is losing nearly N$5 million due to copper theft yearly. He was speaking to Desert Radio on Wednesday morning after Erongored suffered theft of its power poles at Swakopmund and Henties Bay last week. “At Walvis Bay alone we have 10 cases that were recorded over the past 12 months and at Swakopmund, around 15 cases that were also recorded. So, every month we have one case.” “We have caught some culprits but you should know that it takes time for these cases through the courts to be completed. But, nonetheless, we are really thankful to some of the community members that are reporting these incidents,” he said. The latest incident of vandalism and theft at Swakopmund resulted in the Omdel water scheme going without a power supply to the facility. According to a statement by Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater), the Orano Desalination Plant also went offline due to high sulphur levels, meaning that no water was being received from this source. NamWater was consequently forced to engage the Swakopmund municipality to reduce water supply in response. At Henties bay, theft of power poles significantly affected power supply to NamWater’s infrastructure that is critical to the water supply system, spokesperson Lot Ndamanomhata says. !Hanabeb has in the meantime cautioned perpetrators that the consequences will be severe when caught. “Your time is up. We are on you. We know where you are. We know where you are selling all this stolen copper and all the other items and, therefore, we will get you.” “We also have stakeholders set up in all the mines and all the key affected entities. We are working around the clock to be able to close opportunities that exist within the market for these perpetrators and we’ll bring them to book together with the police. “We’d also like to thank the police commissioner of the region and his team for the support and timely response,” he said. The post Erongored loses N$5 million from copper theft appeared first on The Namibian.

Copper theft "growing crisis that is endangering public safety and disrupting essential communications infrastructure," says Bell. Read on