Written by FRANK PEEBLES
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 02 December 2008 |
The ceiling has caved in on global commodity prices, which means a lot less theft of metals from utilities sites and other places where metals are used in large quantities.
"It has all gone down. For several months now we haven't had any copper thefts. Metal thefts have been non-existent, especially copper," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Const. Gary Godwin.
"The prices of metals are way down. It stands to reason. If the recycling places can't get rid of it at a profit, who's going to be moving it?"
That is great news for some major metal users, but it hasn't translated into total success yet.
"B.C. Hydro metal theft incidents have declined slightly but the severity of theft has actually increased," said Bob Gammer, a B.C. Hydro spokesman in Prince George. "We have marginally fewer cases but the impact of those incidents we continue to experience are putting the public, B.C. Hydro employees and our assets more at risk."
The risk became tragic in Maple Ridge recently when Telus was the target of an attempted theft. Someone cut a cable while trying to make off with metal to sell on the black market only it caused an electricity pulse so violent it snapped the utility pole the thief had climbed. The concussion and the fall killed him.
"That was the one metal theft we've had in the last two months and unfortunately that resulted in a fatality," said Shawn Hall. That is in stark contrast to the months previous, when commodity prices were soaring so high it was very tempting for thieves.
"We were on track to actually exceed last year," he said. "We had 58 incidents of copper theft last year, and three dozen as of summer, but none since the crash. One can surmise that is why."
He said Telus is going to press on with an information campaign to convince more municipalities to do as Vancouver and Richmond have done. Those cities have bylaws that force metal recyclers to hold metal for a short period of time after it has been sold to them, and they must check the ID of those selling it. Telus will also be investing in measures to secure its most vulnerable sites.
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SIDEBAR
According to Global InfoMine, an industry information service, copper prices have fallen from about $3.50 US per pound to $1.50 per pound in the past three months. From 2004 back at least as far as 1994, copper prices had were consistently close to the $1 mark until a massive value jump took place in spring 2005.
Aluminum prices followed an almost identical track as copper values. Its fluctuation was more pronounced over the years, but was still relatively stable until the commodities jump in 2005. Aluminum now sits at about 80 cents per pound compared to prices around $1.50 for most of the past three years.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 December 2008 )
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