Page 63 from: March 2012

63March 2012

M E T A L T H E F T

be the case.’ The BMRA would like to see an

increase in the number of convictions but

understands determining ownership of the

metal to be a major stumbling block.

Operation Tornado
In another anti-theft initiative, a Code of Prac-

tice was issued jointly by the BMRA and the

Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in

2010 in which are contained guidelines on how

to improve security and on what to do if

employees are suspicious of any criminal activ-

ity. The code develops common guidance for

local police forces and metals recyclers.

And the BMRA’s close working relationship

with the police and government on this issue

was further cemented with the unveiling in early

January 2012 of Operation Tornado – an anti-

theft trial project spearheaded by the associa-

tion, ACPO, the Home Office, the British Trans-

port Police, and the police forces of

Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland in north-

east England. Aimed at making it easier to trace

sellers of stolen metal through an identification

scheme, Mr Hetherington said at the launch that

he regarded the measures being trialled as ‘sen-

sible’ and providing ‘the basis for a reform of the

Scrap Metal Dealers Act – which we all want’.

Option to extend trial
Under the scheme, parties selling scrap metal

to participating dealers in the Northumbria,

Durham and Cleveland regions will be required

to provide proof of identity by producing either

a photo card driving licence (including an

address), or a passport or national ID card sup-

ported with a utility bill, which must be under

three months old and which must, again, show

their address.

‘This will remain in place for six months ini-

tially with the option to extend the term of the

trial as it progresses,’ notes ACPO spokesman

Chief Inspector Robin Edwards. ‘It has been

designed not to inhibit those dealers that operate

legitimate businesses, but to deter thieves and

cut crime.’ A series of raids took place on January

18 to crack down on scrap metal dealers sus-

pected of receiving stolen metal; these targeted

10 dealers who, it was claimed, had failed volun-

tarily to co-operate with Operation Tornado.

‘Coherent action’
Speaking to Recycling International just over a

month into Operation Tornado, Mr Hether-

ington said it had led to ‘coherent action, good

intelligence and has put forces on the ground

in large numbers’. There had been some arrests

‘and we hope they will convert them (into con-

victions)’, he added.

However, he also underlined that ‘a lot of work

needs to be done’ when it comes to evaluating

the success of the trial. For example, there needs

to be an analysis, he believes, of the extent to

which less material is being offered to sites par-

ticipating in Operation Tornado. If so, ‘we need

to look at where that business is going – we need

to look at neighbouring areas’, he insists, adding

that any initiative of this type ‘will drive sellers

elsewhere’. There is also a distinct possibility,

he adds, that some sellers ‘may be hanging on

to their material until Tornado ends’.

Overall, Mr Hetherington perceives ‘a substantial

reduction in metals theft in parts of the country

where there is coherent enforcement – it’s

becoming too hot to handle’. He puts the accent

on coherence, describing the proliferation of

anti-theft initiatives across the UK as ‘very con-

fusing – especially for people operating yards in

multiple areas’. The BMRA is calling for ‘greater

consistency in police activity – a single, national

approach which recognises that although theft

is a local issue, the disposal of stolen metal can

take place anywhere in the country’.

The ‘Met’ takes thieves
to task

The world-famous Metropolitan Police Ser-

vice (more generally known as the ‘Met’),

the largest of the police services that operate

in Greater London, launched a dedicated

unit to tackle metal theft late last year. The

multi-agency Waste and Metal Theft Task-

force includes experts from the telecom-

munications industry and local authority

environmental crime officers.

In emphasising that the initiative is designed

to tackle an increasingly serious issue, the

Met points out that copper is not the only

sought-after metal in which thieves are trad-

ing. ‘Rising numbers of catalytic converters

are being stolen from vehicles due to the

lucrative platinum they contain,’ it states.

The number of incidents is expected to

increase following the introduction of more

stringent Low Emission Zone emissions

standards from the start of this year.

The Met also states that the highest number

of individuals caught up in a single cable

theft saw 94 000 people lose their power

supply for several days in an incident which

cost a total of around £29 million (US$ 43.5

million).

The highest number of individuals caught up in a single cable
theft saw 94 000 people lose their power supply for several days.

Ian Hetherington, Director General of the British Metals Recy-
cling Association.

The team behind Operation Tornado with, at the front, the
BMRA’s Ian Hetherington (right) and Lord Henley, the Home
Office Minister for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour
Reduction.

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