Media centre

Tuesday 23 Nov 2010

CAMPAIGN TO STOP THIEVES ON THE LINE

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Network Rail is to step up its campaign to beat cable thieves by introducing SmartWater forensic spray devices in the St Helens area, which has become a hotspot for theft from the railway.

Once activated, the non-hazardous devices will douse offenders in a chemically coded liquid, which will cover their skin, clothing and hair. This can be used to link them back to a particular crime scene, long after the offence has taken place. Any traces of SmartWater can be detected using UV lights, which are regularly used by the police.

Jo Kaye, Network Rail’s route director, said: “Cable theft is a massive drain on our resources and a major inconvenience to train operators, their passengers and freight.

“Since it first became a significant problem for us in 2006, trains across the UK have been delayed by 1.1m minutes. Britain relies on rail and all those lost minutes have a significant effect on people’s lives, with them being late for work, missing appointments and it eating into their leisure time.

"In the last 18 months in the St Helens area alone there have been 19 cable theft incidents delaying trains by nearly 15,000 minutes and causing numerous cancellations.

“Companies that transport goods by train are being deterred from using the rail network and we run the risk that they may put more lorries on already overcrowded roads.

“As well as the inconvenience to passengers and freight customers, cable theft has cost the company over £35m in compensation and damage repairs since 2006. That is effectively wasted money that would be better spent improving and enhancing the railways for the benefit of everyone.”

To further close the net on metal thieves, all Network Rail cable in St Helens is being treated with SmartWater. Every mile of track will be given its own unique chemical code and logged on GPS trackers, so if stolen it can be traced back to its point of origin.  Even if thieves attempt to burn the liquid off the cable, traces will still remain. They also risk inadvertently spreading more forensic evidence onto tools and vehicles used to cut and transport stolen cable.

Earlier this year SmartWater was deployed along an isolated hotspot area of track in the West Midlands and it is also used on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. In those areas there have been no further cable thefts. Signs to warn thieves about this initiative have now been positioned on trackside fencing across St Helens to deter anyone from trespassing onto the rail line.

SmartWater is just one of the ways in which Network Rail is deterring thieves. Where possible cable will be buried underground, whilst CCTV is also in use along with trembler devices that are activated when cable is disturbed, sending alarms to control centres. This immediately alerts Network Rail’s own staff and security teams to any suspicious activity and this rapid response is invaluable in reducing the effects on the industry.

Network Rail is also working closely with train operators such as Virgin and London Midland whose trains have on-board cameras that continually film the track and lineside in front of the train as it makes its journey. What cable thieves don’t realise is that the trains have cameras fitted to both ends, so not only is the view in front of the train being captured on camera, so is the one behind. Anyone who is up to no good and waits until the train has passed will still be caught and
those images can be passed to police as evidence in prosecutions.

Gary Hambling, Virgin Trains’ head of fleet and engineering explains, “Cable thieves often do more than just steal cable as they leave troughing lids, tools or materials strewn on or near the line, which is an added hazard to trains. We have worked closely with NR and the police in the past two years to fit trains with forward facing cameras and installed IT processes that allow us to download data from the train to Network Rail in minutes.  The use of SmartWater and investment and training in people to use the equipment has to be a positive way forward for the industry.”

Police will be stepping up visits to scrap dealers in the area to search for any stolen cable. Many dealers who buy stolen metal are often unaware of its chequered past and are as much a victim of the thieves as the railway operators. However, there is a small number of unscrupulous dealers who are happy to take in metal without asking too many questions.

Detective Inspector Andrea Rainey, of British Transport Police, said: “The theft of metal and cable is a major issue for the railway and is a high priority crime for us.

“We have been tackling the issue for some time and as part of this work have made visiting scrap metal dealers part of our daily business.

“The vast majority of cable thieves use scrap dealers as a means to sell on the metal they have stolen from the railway. Most of these dealers take in the metal unaware of its chequered past and are as much a victim of the thieves as the railway operators.

“We have been working to educate scrap metal dealers across the country about cable theft and what to look out for when people arrive at their yard with metal and cable to sell.

“Part of this work will now involve educating the dealers about SmartWater and we will be urging all dealers in the area to scan all metal coming into their premises with a u/v light to check for telltale traces of the luminous liquid.”

DI Rainey added: “Of course there are also a small number of unscrupulous dealers who are happy to take in metal without asking too many questions.

“In recent weeks BTP has called for new legislation to help tackles those dealers who persist in buying stolen metals. We would like powers which would allow senior police officers to close down scrap metal dealers who fail to abide by industry standard working practices.

“We need the ability to tackle the heart of this problem effectively, allowing us to shut down scrap metal dealers who continue to flout the law and provide a market for thieves through buying and selling stolen metal.”