West Mercia Police working with scrap metal dealers to target thieves
Police in West Mercia say they are continuing to target metal thieves after it emerged they struck hundreds of times last year.
West Mercia Police recorded 586 metal theft offences in 2019-20, Office for National Statistics data shows.
Of those in Shropshire, 218 were infrastructure-related, which includes the stripping of metal such as roofing lead from buildings, taking electricity or railway cables, or stealing vehicle parts.
The rest were non-infrastructure related, which could involve stealing scrap metal or war memorial plaques.
West Mercia Police said the number of metal thefts recorded in 2019/20 was lower than four years ago, when almost 1,000 were reported, however is slightly higher than the previous year.
Police say licensing officers work with scrap metal dealers and regularly visit scrap metal yards to offer advice and support.
They help dealers make sure they are complying by the rules of their trading licence and doing all they can to make sure that the origin of the metal they are dealing in is genuine.
And, as part of We Don’t Buy Crime’s work with second-hand stores, scrap metal dealers are given the opportunity to sign up to an information agreement scheme and work with police to reduce the resale of stolen goods.
Reunite
We Don’t Buy Crime’s Inspector Ram Aston said: “Through our We Don’t Buy Crime work and our licensing visits there are layers of crime prevention we can put in place to help reduce the resale of stolen goods, and essentially make stealing less profitable.
“Licensing officers work with scrap metal dealers and regularly visit scrap metal yards right across the counties we cover to offer advice and support.
"In partnership with the dealers we can help them make sure they are working to the terms of their licence and are doing everything possible to ensure the origin of the metal they are trading in is genuine.
“These visits, in conjunction with our We Don’t Buy Crime work with second-hand stores, which includes scrap metal dealers, means we can help them in their approach to do this.
“By providing them with a UV torch they can check if the property has been forensically marked and by sharing information about stolen goods we can make it easier for them to identify if goods they are being offered for sale is stolen property.
“The public can play a part too, by forensically property marking their valuable items, including metal.
"In the unfortunate event it does get stolen our crime prevention layers can not only help identify the thief but also help reunite them with the items that have been taken.”
For more information about We Don’t Buy Crime visit www.wedontbuycrime.co.uk
