The theft of copper and wire is on the increase not only in America but also world over. The increase in the incidents of theft is attributable to the global prices of copper, which have sky rocketed owing to the ever increasing demand for copper (Lipsey and Chrystal, 2011). Copper is used in practically all projects of construction, thus with increased expansion especially in China and India, the demand for it exceeds the production. The shortage in the production has been supplemented by the available supply, hence the theft of any available copper.
The situation is compounded by the fact that buyers are offering up to 90 per cent of the global price even for the stolen copper (United States et. al, 2010). This makes theft of copper a very lucrative undertaking. The fact that copper is 100 per cent recyclable means that the stolen copper may be recycled as sold off as new, thus the buyers of the stolen copper have no problem paying the stated amount.
The theft of copper and wire has a negative impact on energy infrastructure. Virtually all the energy infrastructure depends on copper. Accordingly, the theft of copper and wire compromises infrastructure such as electrical substations, transmission stations and railroads. It is estimated that such theft has precipitated the close down of railway systems, electrical substations among other systems (Thomas, 2010). Even in instances where the theft does not lead to a complete shutdown, it nevertheless affects the overall function of the infrastructure. Additionally, sometimes the infrastructure becomes a death trap to employees as well as the public (U.S Department of Energy, 2010).
The first thing to do in order to prevent copper theft is to assess the level of threat it poses. This is very critical is determining the plan of action as well as the measures required to effectively address the issue. Essentially, such assessment will assist in planning, reducing, responding and preventing copper theft (Johnson, 2013). Secondly, the punishment for theft should outweigh the benefit to be gained from the theft. This operates as a disincentive to would be perpetrators and would ultimately reduce the illicit copper market. Thirdly, the sites susceptible to theft should be monitored around the clock, more so through modern technology such as motion detectors. This would particularly come in handy for sites that are in remote locations (Dempsey, 2010). It is imperative to note that no single measure can prevent the theft; however a combination of these and other measures would greatly prevent the theft.
References
Dempsey, J. S. (2010). Introduction to Private Security (2nd ed.). California: Wadsworth
Publishing Company. Print.
Johnson, R. (2013). Antiterrorism & Threat Response: Planning and Implementation. Florida:
Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Print.
Lipsey, R. and Chrystal, A. (2011). Economics. New York: Oxford University Press. Print.
Thomas, A. R. (2010). Supply Chain Security: International Practices, and Innovation in
Moving Goods Safely and Efficiently. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. Print.
U.S Department of Energy. (2010). An Updated Assessment of Copper Wire Thefts from
Electric Utilities. Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, October, 2010. < http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/docs/Updated%20Assessment-Copper-Final-101210%20c.pdf> web.
United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and
Drugs. (2010). Metal Theft: Public Hazard, Law Enforcement Challenge : Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, First Session, July 22, 2009. Michigan: University of Michigan. Print.
