Suspected cable thief apprehended in Kenville

OFFICERS from a security company apprehended an alleged cable thief in the Kenville area recently, while patrolling the area.

Brian Jackson, operations director at Blue Security, said one of their armed response officers spotted a suspicious suspect.

The suspect had in his possession, what appeared to be, metres of electric cabling, women’s boots and other items.

READ ALSO: Copper cable thief caught in the act in Kenville

Greenwood Park SAPS attended and took the suspect into custody.

“Cable theft is rife across KwaZulu-Natal. It is a serious crime with devastating repercussions on residents and the economy at large. Blue Security has amped up active patrolling, especially in the darker hours of the colder months, as crime escalates in this period,” said Jackson. 

READ ALSO: Two suspects arrested for Redhill cable theft

“Those who steal cables sell them to scrap dealers as they hold a high monetary value of about R65-R70 per kilogram. The stolen copper is then exported to other countries and the same copper is then procured by the country it has been stolen from, ” added Jackson.

Here’s what to look out for:

• Criminals posing as contractors working for eThekwini Electricity, removing cables illegally. A substantial amount of theft takes place late at night or very early in the morning so if you see “contractors” removing cables at these odd times, regard it as suspicious.
• Individuals walking around with cutting tools.
• People removing overhead cables without a job card from eThekwini Municipality.
• Suspicious vehicles like bakkies, trucks and minibusses with occupants pretending to conduct electrical work. No signage on the vehicle.

Jackson urged residents to not approach suspects, but rather report suspicious activity to the municipality’s electricity’s call centre, SAPS or Metro Emergency Line Monitor.

To report suspicious activity, contact the electricity’s call centre on 080 13 13 111, Cable Theft Hotline on 031 311 9611, SAPS on 10111 or Metro Emergency Line on 031 361 0000.

According to online reports, The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates cable theft costs the SA economy between R5-billion and R7-billion a year and the eThekwini Electricity contributes R60 million to that loss.

The Greenwood Park SAPS spokesman could not be reached for comment at the time this article was published. 

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