Media centre

Friday 7 May 2010

NETWORK RAIL ON TRACK TO PREVENT CABLE THEFT

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Network Rail is to deploy new technology to help fight one of the biggest causes of disruption to train services - the theft of railway cables. In the West Midlands alone, 462 trains were cancelled and others were delayed by nearly 74,000 minutes over the last year.

Trackside cable in parts of the West Midlands is now marked with a forensic liquid called SmartWater, which has over a billion different chemical code combinations and can only be seen under special ultra-violet light. Every kilometre of cable is marked with a different code so that police can pinpoint the exact location from which it was taken – providing a link between the criminal and the crime scene.

Network Rail route director Jo Kaye said: “Cable theft is a significant problem for the industry. As soon as a cable is cut, trains are safely brought to a halt to protect passengers and our people, but that can result in significant delays and disruption. The cost of repairs, disruption and manpower from the 85 incidents last year was nearly £4m. That is money lost to the industry that could be better spent on improvements.”

SmartWater is almost impossible to remove and has been independently tested to withstand burning. It is also resistant to direct exposure to sunlight and is unaffected by bleaching and other household chemicals. Criminal convictions have even been secured even where offenders have attempted to strip the outer sheathing from cable to try and remove the chemical coding. Instead they have inadvertently contaminated themselves, their clothes and the surrounding area, providing the police with additional forensic evidence.

Network Rail is also working with the British Transport Police (BTP) on covert operations to target repeat offenders. These will see the use of SmartWater spray systems which mark the skin and clothes of offenders with a chemical that links them with the crime scene. Surveillance equipment will also be used, including CCTV, GPS trackers and devices that set off an alarm when cables are disturbed. Other measures being used include burying cable underground and using fibre optic cable that has no monetary value. 

BTP is working with local scrap metal dealers and recyclers to cut off the means for thieves to sell on stolen goods. Major recyclers including EMR, Booths and SITA UK as well as independent scrap dealers, are now checking metals for traces of SmartWater before processing it. If found they will refuse to handle it and, where necessary, inform the appropriate authorities.

Detective Inspector Robin Conway, of BTP, said: “Anyone arrested for theft on the railways will be examined for traces of SmartWater. A search will be made of the person’s house and any property, including vehicles with traces of SmartWater on them, is likely to be seized by police.

“Scrap metal dealers will be visited regularly to ensure they are assisting British Transport Police in identifying criminals attempting to sell stolen metal.”

 

Chief executive of SmartWater Technology Ltd., Phil Cleary, said: “Metal theft is an international problem and we are committed to working with Network Rail, as well as the police and other law enforcement agencies, to continue to tackle this issue. SmartWater has developed a long term strategy to combat this type of theft, which will see the deployment of an array of sophisticated products and crime prevention measures to both detect and deter criminals. ”