Thefts and Vandalism

I agree the law relating to scrap dealers needs amending as well as a regulatory body set up to do regular checks on scrap yards. That way the people who take the stuff wouldn't be able to sell it and it wouldn't be worth the effort to take in the first place.

It is unfair to tar all travellers with the same brush, but there are a lot of rouge ones out there admittedly. JTX tells it as it is more or less. With my family having been a victim of such theft in the past I can only sympathise with those who have lost items.

I have to be PC I'm afraid with the Human Rights Act we have to be very careful what we say or breath today or we can end up as the villian. That's without barmy Brussels poking it's oar in, don't get my started on the EU!

 

Again apologies if this has been cited already, but here's a letter to Heritage Railway online that goes beyond restricting the payment methods.
http://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/news/clamp-down-on-scrapyards-to-stop-thefts

I think that one problem in achieving this is that there are some extremely large companies in the scrap metal processing business who are probably not involved in receiving stolen goods, but would lobby against procedures that interfered with their freedom to trade.
I fear that the only thing that would move the goalposts would be a serious accident with multiple fatalities that could be put down entirely to equipment theft. Thank heavens, fail-safe systems make it extremely unlikely to happen anyway so the problem will remain a nuisance as far as the cops are concerned.

I suggest (facetiously of course... OF COURSE, moderator!) nicking the nameplates off 67005 and 67006 the night before Prince Charles is due to make an early start for Scotland in the royal train, dumping them at a dodgy dealer's and dialling 999. That might result in some pressure for regulating the scrap market.

 

Scrap metal dealers are already required by law to keep records of persons they buy scrap from AND RECORD vehicle numbers used to deliver said material - so nothing new there. Of course, some give false details and even fit false plates to evade being traced.

As for large companies not being involved...................I personally nicked the manager of one such large and well known yard in the 1970's for receiving stolen railway lines.

 

With the price of scrap so high it would seem that no railway is safe, the KESR was hit this week and stuff taken , using our own JCB it would seem which they also stole, so whats the answer? do we have to resort to spending money on security measures which then takes funds away from restoration of locos ,coaches track and stations? I think that in the future every railway will have to look at where they store their high scrap value materials.
You can no longer get away with a siding in the middle of nowhere to store equipment the only answer is to park up items of plant in a secure compond near a populated area , but then the posibility of vandles wrecking it becomes a very real problem , i personally would love to get my hands on these low life who un do so much of what we give for free , theives and vandles are the same in my book and im sure that a few hours in the "care" of some of those who have to make good or repair the damage or loss would soon teach them a lesson they would not forget in a hurry and would ensure that their kind would think twice before robbing from a preserved railway

 

Do you all know about SmartWater (see this example: http://www.smartwater.com/Media-Cen...2008/Kits-to-help-residents-beat-crime.aspx)? Apparently, thieves are put off by seeing SmartWater labels on buildings saying that items in the building are treated and anyone taking them can be traced. Worth a go? It's not too expensive.
Cheers,
Steve

 

Reported today that thieves have nicked a section of the copper overhead line from the Manx Electric Railway http://www.energyfm.net/cms/news_story_140569.html

How on earth are you meant to secure that along the length of the line?

 

CCTV caught a thief in my shed. The PCSO eventually found out who he was, he was a "problem person" new to the town which was why nobody knew him. OK I did get my parts washer and a tap and die set returned but far more items than those were taken. To my amazement the 19 year old (adult) just received a police caution! Presumably telling people off doesn't cost anything and the government doesn't want to spend money on locking-up scum. I even have a theory that the "system" allows low life to be prolific burglars as being "self employed" they won't be claiming benefits or making the unemployment figures look bad. Unfortunately there is no deterrent nowadays.

According to the police the man worked in a shop. They arrested him at work and his employer sacked him on the spot. Small consolation but better than nothing.

 

Yes your about right they wont lock them up too costly .So isnt it about time the government of this country came up with some other ideas .I dont think the USA would let these as you say scum get away with it are there no workhouses WHY NOT ! if they want dole money get them to work for it .Why dont they make them pay back what they stole .Sacking this moron wasnt the answer he now has more reason to steal dont you think. Short sharp shock Detention centres are an answer ,why did they close them.

 

It depends on how brazen the thieves are (and how dopey the police are). Typical example is the lightning conductor on Gainsborough Old Hall, a museum where a relative of mine works. One section of the lightning conductor is next to a pavement and repeated thefts have occurred from ground level to as high as a man can reach. One chap was discovered with a sack containing copper bars of the exact dimensions of the lightning conductor. The sack also contained a battery operated angle grinder. Amazingly the bloke claimed to be an electrician and he said that the copper bars were his and that he was going to use them on a job. As the bloke had more "neck" than a giraffe he got away with it! Well if I had been the engineer at The Old Hall I'd have stamped the postcode all along the edge of the lightning conductor in dozens and dozens of places and he'd have been up before the beak. Allegedly the lightning conductor has been stolen at least eight times. As the Tudor style building contains a tremendous amount of dry wood an unprotected lightning strike would set it on fire but the thieves don't give a damn. The lightning conductor has now been replaced with aluminium which is less attractive to the thieves. Incidentally some older homes in Lincolnshire have external gas pipes. The homes were originally designed for coal fires but with the discovery of North Sea Gas central heating became popular. It is now fairly common for thieves to steal the copper pipes and leave the gas belching out of the pipe. If only we could put this scum in an American "Supermax" prison where the worst offenders are locked up in little cages not much bigger than a telephone kiosk. It might make them think twice.
As to "Smartwater" the average bobby on the beat won't be carrying a microscope but if items were postcoded and had Smartwater as well it might deter the thieves. Unfortunately some of this vermin will break into electricity substations and will even attempt to steal live conductors. Allegedly there was a gang in Dorset who used to rip live cables out of the road. They had a stolen JCB, traffic lights and all the kit. One day they must have thought they had got lucky when they "found" a nice thick cable but allegedly it turned out to be an extra high voltage oil filled cable. According to what I heard two of them were incinerated on the spot but the rest of the gang just packed up the kit and disappeared. Third World behaviour?

 

More bad news for the Glos Warks Railway. Toddington has now been the target of thieves allegedly according to the GWR website. See link below.
http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/theft-at-toddington.aspx

 

soft targets! Railways will have to all look seriously at their security. It needs to be at least as good as other industrial sites.

 

Commiserations to all involved; I've seen a report of what happened on another forum (I won't re-post it yet as I can't verify the full accuracy) and hope it doesn't set operations and restorations back too much.

 

Sadly, what I had heard was true. Fuller story now at:-

http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/£60k-metal-raid-on-gwr.aspx

 

These thefts are quite disgusting....my sincere condolences to those affected.

Is "smartwater" any good ?

On-site security will soon have to be 24/7 and be akin to the army!

 

Smartwater is very good. Are you aware of how this works stoneroad....... if not pm me and I will tell all

 

Whilst the theft and vandalism of any thing from our railways is to be condemed , we,as an industry and body have to look at our own precautions are our stations and depots kept secure to deter these persons in a lot of cases i would say not stations are public places, i dont think that you could ever make them 100% attack proof
containers whilst they would deter most will not stop the organised scrap thief.

Whilst we have scrap dealers who are prepared to take stolen items no questions asked and pay cash so there is no trail this problem will just get worse and add into this because we are known thoughout europe as an easy touch for crime to get away with it, i suspect that a lot of this is being carried out by Eastern europiean gangs as well as our home grown low life especially the theft of copper wire from NR off live railway sites

the only answer that i can see is that the scrap industry has to be tightened up and it made against the law to pay anything over 100 pounds in cash and that severe penaties are brought in for both the thief and the scrapman ,such as removal of the thiefs means of transport by crushing it and perminent removal of licence and persistant background checks to ensure the first time he tries to drive any motor vehicle he gets caught and banged up and for the scrapman a mimimum prison sentance and confiscation of his assets would be a good start

 

It probably won't get the 100,000 signatures required but if everyone affected at some time signed it, it would easily get there.


http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406

 

Isn't your statement self contradictory? Bang the drum louder and get more signatures. I have.