BTOpenreach, which is responsible for managing access to BT's local telecoms and broadband ISP network, has today announced an extended partnership with crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers to target and hopefully "stamp out" copper cable theft in Doncaster and Humberside (Yorkshire, England). BT is offering a reward of £2,000 to anybody who provides information that leads to a conviction.

Recent surges in the value of scrap copper certainly haven't helped and hardly a week now seems to go by without at least one report of broadband and telephone services being cut-off because of related criminal activity.


According to Crimstoppers, the aforementioned Yorkshire towns are some of the country's worst hit with a reported 60 incidents occurring since April 2011. It's easy to see why BT has decided to focus upon this area, although similar crimes continue to impact the whole UK.


BT is also part of a Metal Theft Taskforce (MTT), which uses SmartWater to forensically "tag" metal thieves and what they steal. This allows the Police to identify and trace related crimes, which can often involve punishing scrap collectors that accept metal from criminal sources.

Sadly this has not been enough to stop metal theft costing the entire industry (e.g. telecoms, railway lines, power stations etc.) millions of pounds each year to repair; about £770 million at the last estimate. Anybody with information about such crimes can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or use their secure online form.