Media centre

Tuesday 10 May 2011

CABLE THEFT ON THE INCREASE AS THOUSANDS OF LINCOLNSHIRE PASSENGERS SUFFER

Region & Route:

- £95,000 lost in just three years

- 83% jump in attacks in past year

- Thousands of passengers affected and delays of more than 91 hours last year

Cable thieves are ruining the lives of thousands of passengers with attacks on the rail infrastructure in Lincolnshire up by a shocking 83% in the past year.

Criminals are targeting the cables which control vital rail infrastructure such as signals and points, causing delays to thousands of trains and people.

National figures released by Network Rail today reveal a £43m cost to this crime-spree over the past three years, resulting in over 16,000 hours of delay. In Lincolnshire that equates to £94, 827 in compensation costs alone and 161 hours delay over the same period.

Richard Lungmuss, route director at Network Rail, said: “These criminal acts have to stop. Every day in Lincolnshire passengers and essential freight deliveries upon which our economy relies are being delayed by thieves looking to make a quick buck at our expense.

“I cannot over-emphasise just how serious these crimes are. Cable thieves deny passengers the service they rightly expect and, through the massive cost to the industry, deny everyone improvements to rail services.

“We are doing everything we can to protect the railway and will continue to work closely with British Transport Police and other rail partners to do everything in our power to deter thieves and bring those who attack our network to justice.”

In Lincolnshire in 2010/11:

- £64, 511 was lost paying compensation for services delayed by cable theft

- More than 30 attacks on essential rail systems in the county – an 83% jump on the previous year

- Passenger services delayed by more than 90 hours

DCI Derek O’Mara of British Transport Police, said: "The railways have seen significant delays and cancellations as a result of thieves cutting and stealing signalling and power cables from the side of the track.

“But we are working to tackle the issue and in the past few months have seen significant jail sentences handed down to cable thieves put before the courts.

“We are determined to send a clear message that such attacks on our critical infrastructure are unacceptable and the police and rail industry are working together to tackle the problem."

Methods used to deter and catch the thieves include:

• Dedicated BTP task force, increased patrols, intelligence led policing. Priority second only to terrorism.
• Network Rail has recently funded extra, dedicated officers
• Partnership working with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
• National intelligence cell with members from BTP, Network Rail and soon external non-rail partners.
• Use of the Network Rail helicopter, CCTV, forensic marking, trembler alarms and other devices to protect the cable.
• Fast response teams to get trains on the move as quickly as possible.
• Introduction of new type of cable that is easier to identify and harder to steal.
• Use of approved scrap yards for disposals of used materials.

Mark Steward, Operations and Safety Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “It’s unacceptable that our passengers should have to suffer disruption and inconvenience, both from petty thieves trying to make a quick few pounds and from the activity of highly organised criminal gangs.

“We fully endorse the rigorous measures being taken by Network Rail and the British Transport Police and will do everything we can to help support the crack down on cable theft across our network.”

Anyone with any information about cable theft should contact British Transport Police or Crimestoppers where they can report the crime anonymously and could receive up to £1,000 reward if their information leads to a conviction.

BTP can be contacted on 0800 40 50 40 and Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.