Media centre

Wednesday 19 Sep 2007

RAILWAY CABLE THIEVES IN WAKEFIELD ARE IN FOR A SHOCK - MEDIA INVITE

Region & Route:

Network Rail, in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 to people who help to catch cable thieves who have been disrupting rail services in Wakefield.

Excluding the summer floods, the theft of cable which is used in railway signalling systems is the single biggest cause of delay to trains in the region and is costing the industry millions of pounds.

Network Rail has been working with British Transport Police (BTP) to prevent cable theft and to catch the thieves. Now they have teamed up with Crimestoppers to offer this reward.

Dyan Crowther, Route Director for Network Rail said: "We are doing everything we can to stop the cable thieves, including increasing dedicated security patrols and investigating the use of technology used by the security services to protect the cable. Now we are asking people who live in the areas which have been worst affected to help us to catch these thieves and to keep the railway running."

"I would ask anyone who sees people acting suspiciously near the tracks to report it immediately - and anonymously - to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

In addition to the media campaign, 4,000 leaflets and hundreds of posters highlighting the reward are being distributed in hot spot areas in the coming weeks.

Detective Chief Inspector Danny Snee of British Transport Police added: "After the threat of terrorism, the theft of cable is one of BTP’s biggest challenges. Those who steal cable are not just risking a prison sentence, they are risking their lives.

"This is an extremely dangerous crime which is an attack on the community; passengers are missing holiday flights, hospital appointments and business or social meetings due to the delays caused.

"BTP have dedicated cable squads that undertake regular operations including round the clock patrols targeted at hotspot crime areas in Wakefield. Those involved can expect us to use every means to target them. We are working hard to catch and prosecute culprits in an attempt to eradicate this problem."

GNER head of operations Robin Davis said: "We fully support Network Rail and Crimestoppers in their efforts to tackle cable thefts on the railway. Not only are the thieves risking their own lives, but also just one incident like this can cause disruption for thousands of passengers along the long and busy East Coast Main Line. It also causes stresses and strains for all railway staff who have to deal with the disruption".

Dave Cording, Crimestoppers’ Director of Operations said: “The theft of valuable metals is a big problem for a number of industries - including telecoms and the railway. We are delighted to be supporting Network Rail in this. Anyone who wants to give us information about who is committing these crimes can call us anonymously on 0800 555 111. Calls can not be traced and are not recorded; they will not have to give evidence in court. Your call could help save someone from death or serious injury and stop this reckless crime from spreading further.”

The reward will be launched at a media event at 10am on Wednesday 19 September at Healey Mills signal box (directions below). Spokespeople from Network Rail and GNER will be available for interview. Media will also be able to interview a BTP spokesperson and accompany officers as they carry out policing activities in the local area.