Smart way to track down metal thieves

Oct 30 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

THIEVES hoping to make money out of breaking into electrical substations could get more of a shock than they might expect.

Despite the dangers of breaking into the high-voltage substations, 2006 saw 132 of them targeted across Merseyside and Cheshire.

And Scottish Power says the problem has grown worse this year because thieves believe they can get metals such as copper which have become more valuable during 2007.

Now they have become the first utility company to use specialist product Smartwater to protect its sites.

Smartwater attaches itself to thieves and each batch is unique – showing up under ultraviolet light, allowing police to link them to the scene of the crime.

Scottish Power’s maintenance manager, John Boyer, said: “There has always been a problem, but not to the scale it is now because the metal markets across the world have seen rises and people looking for other sources of these raw materials.

“They believe substations are a source for this.”

He said despite the dangers of breaking into the substations the trend has been increasing and in other areas has even led to power cuts.

A large substation can supply more than 30,000 homes and businesses with their power and the theft of copper earthing cable and terminals can leave people without electricity for a considerable length of time.

DI Liam Furlong, from Cheshire Police said Smartwater was already widely used by the force and had proved “highly effective”.