INVISIBLE WEAPON IN FIGHT AGAINST CABLE THIEVES IN SUNDERLAND
A new weapon is being used by Network Rail to protect essential rail equipment in Sunderland from thieves who are targeting it for its scrap value.
Thieves continue to target parts of the overhead line systems – even though a programme to replace the old copper cables with a less valuable alternative has been carried out by Network Rail.
In the past year there have been nine occasions when rail services were disrupted by thieves targeting this equipment – resulting in 1,454 minutes of delay and disruption to passengers and compensation costs to Network Rail of around £71,300.
Now a unique forensic taggent from RedWeb Technologies is being applied to the equipment to help police catch the thieves, by providing the link between the criminal and the crime scene
Richard Lungmuss, route director for Network Rail said: “Cable theft continues to cause massive disruption to passengers and freight services. This is not acceptable. Britain relies on rail and the disruption and delay has a significant effect on people’s lives – through being late for work, missing appointments or simply ruining a day out during the summer holidays.
“We are doing all we can to protect the network, including successful use of CCTV, extra dedicated police patrols and using various methods to make cables harder to steal. The use of the RedWeb marker is another weapon against these thieves who are bringing misery to so many people.”
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