Copper wire thefts surge in downtown London as police urge vigilance

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 5:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

London constabulary are urging downtown residents, businesses and spot owners to beryllium connected alert amid an uptick successful copper ligament thefts successful the halfway implicit the past respective months.

At slightest 23 incidents of copper ligament theft person been reported to constabulary since November, with 21 reports occurring successful the downtown, constabulary said Monday successful a associated connection with London Hydro and metropolis hall.

"We've seen the fig of incidents commencement to tick up successful presumption of copper theft from unrecorded installations," said Ysni Semsedini, the CEO of London Hydro.

"For us, that poses a immense information risk, some for the radical who are stealing the copper and past besides for our employees who are having to spell successful and effort to hole the strategy that's been tampered with."

Semsedini said the inferior has seen copper thefts astatine its different sites, but notes there's been a attraction of incidents successful the downtown core, including successful precocious voltage areas, for reasons that aren't wholly clear.

"It's really unrecorded installed copper connected our superior infrastructure that they're going after," helium said. "We're noticing a batch of this is happening overnight, betwixt the hours of two and 4 oregon 5 successful the morning."

Londoners are being asked to support an oculus retired for suspicious activity. Police accidental that mightiness see radical entering restricted areas astatine unusual hours, unmarked vehicles parked adjacent hydro installations and successful different antithetic spots, and radical with ligament cutters, crowbars, artillery tools, and different equipment.

No arrests person been made successful the incidents astatine the centre of Monday's associated statement, said Det. Insp. Sean Travis.

"We person had respective reports of copper theft, whether it beryllium ligament oregon plumbing. It does impact each areas of the city," helium said.

"Any tract progressive with progressive hydro is perfectly unsafe and a life-threatening concern to effort to steal. So we decidedly pass against anyone attempting that."

He said the metropolis has been moving with section salvage yards astir reporting requirements for selling salvageable metals. "You're expected to ID yourself truthful that the items tin beryllium traced," Travis said.

Salvage yards person to verify a seller's individuality utilizing 2 pieces of valid, existent government-issued ID, including 1 with a photograph. They're besides required to study regular to constabulary erstwhile products similar copper are received.

Orest Katolyk, London's manager of municipal compliance, said successful a connection that caller inspections of salvage yards recovered nary violations related to ID requirements. 

"This month, a associated acquisition blitz with London Hydro reinforced salvage gait requirements, including the regular reporting of copper income to London police," helium said.

Charlie Gelinas said his longtime recycling business, Specialized Recycling Inc., was among those visited by metropolis officials. He said he's always required ID from radical selling to him, and regularly turns distant sellers who don't nutrient any.

"If a person's not consenting to place themselves and basal down what they're bringing in, I'm not buying it, period," helium said.

"There's been much times than I tin number implicit the past 15 years we've been present wherever radical person tried bringing worldly successful they evidently don't lucifer with, and we've turned them implicit to police. I'm reasoning immoderate highly aggravating stuff, similar graveyard urns."

Copper, helium says, is a mean transaction, and immoderate weeks helium sees tens of thousands of pounds worthy from demolition contractors, electricians, and homeowners. Gelinas expressed vexation that helium was lone learning of the uptick in copper ligament thefts now.

"Why, if determination was an uptick, London Hydro oregon (police) didn't accidental to radical successful the concern 'this is going on, tin you assistance america ticker retired for it?'" helium said. "What would beryllium helpful, if there's an contented going on, is to cognize astir it erstwhile it's happening, past radical volition beryllium other alert to it."

Copper ligament theft is simply a large contented and has been connected the emergence crossed the country, national officials told the Senate's transport and communications committee successful December. 

Canadian telecom carriers successful peculiar had more than 1,300 incidents of copper ligament theft since January 2022, the committee heard.

Major companies similar Bell Canada and Telus Corp. person been decommissioning immoderate of their copper lines successful caller years arsenic they determination much toward fibre-powered networks.