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BC Copper capers: On the hunt for scrap metal thieves
by Barry Artiste | July 19, 2008 at 09:37 am | 375 views | 14 comments
Opinion
Barry Artiste. Now Public Contributor
This stuff should be televised to show the side we rarely see, but always hear about. Copper and metal thieves are perceived as a victimless crime, until you need to call emergency services only to find dead air space on the other end of the phone line. Or when kids are out playing and come across a live high voltage wire left laying on the ground, just inviting kids to pick it up with fatal results.
As my photos show, metal theft is big business all over North America.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=bfb88ce2-d67c-426d-b99c-3147d52fcf6b
BC Copper capers: On the hunt for scrap metal thieves Fiona Anderson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, July 19, 2008
It started with a tip. A Telus employee driving past a subdivision under construction in Surrey saw that the boxes housing the telephone, television and electrical cables had been opened, and some wire stretched and cut.
It was a golden opportunity for Telus's security team - evidence of a theft, but with more cable left vulnerable. The thieves could come back, and Telus wanted to be there to catch them in the act.
The tip came in at 3:45 p.m. one day this week. At 8:15 that evening, Al and Bob, the surveillance team, along with a Vancouver Sun reporter and photographer, are in place at the subdivision.
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July 19, 2008 at 09:37 am by Barry Artiste, 375 views, 14 comments
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Barry Artiste
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Comments (14)
at 11:57 on July 19th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
I have been collecting cooper for years. never throw any thing with cooper or other precious metal away! You may want to do the same Barry! Even Steel is very valuable!
at 12:00 on July 19th, 2008
Thanks for the comment and the flag Paschen, of course, recycling ones own metals is a given, recycling someone else's metal without their knowledge is theft. Some people in BC have come home from vacation to discover their entire homes plumbing, metal eaves have disappeared.
at 12:13 on July 19th, 2008
I know that! Thank you for pointing it out!
at 12:18 on July 19th, 2008
I knew you did my friend, by the way, I investigated one case where a building downtown slated for demo for the Olympic village had it's steel and brass 2,000 gallon domestic hot water tank stripped of it's insulation jacket, making an absolute mess in order to cut up the tank. Oh yeah, the insulation as Amosite Asbestos, as they say Karma is a Bitch for a metal thief, especially in a couple of years when the hundreds of lung tumours and hacking up blood and other full effect hits him.
at 12:25 on July 19th, 2008
Well, then our taxes will pay for the treatment!
at 13:17 on July 19th, 2008
Once amosite gets into your lungs the only treatment is making peace with your maker, drugs, operations, etc are pretty much useless.
at 12:12 on July 19th, 2008
Hi Barry, interesting photos. Did you take them while you were in the field on the job? Do tell!
at 12:13 on July 19th, 2008
Nope, scammed them off the internet
at 00:02 on July 20th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 07:43 on July 20th, 2008
Thanks JD for the comment and the flag
at 05:49 on July 20th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
This is a very intersting story Barry. You know the same thing happened with all the steel that came from the WTC after the 911 attack. Rudy Guiliani was quick to get rid of the evidence and ship all that steel out of the country. You know where it went? It went to China. I dare say that when people go to the Olympics in Beijing and look up and enter the Bird Nests Olympic Colliseum; that is the building material and stuff really from N.Y. City's WTC steel debris gathered for use after the 911 attack.
Someone made money, and no one is talking. It's one reason I am avoiding the Olympic games. They sure don't need more of my money for their crimes to humanity.
I would love it if the Athletes boycotted the Olympics.
Another perception problem here in China is the One World One Dream slogan theme for the Bejing Olympics. Here they have the Olympics and spend millions on it for the rich, while the Castrophe is still being worked on with the earthquake in Sichuan. The MSM puts their spin on it, saying everyone is slowly recovering. But its such BS. You know the people in Sichuan were never well off in the first place before the earthquake. In fact there is 1 world and two dreams. There are the people who control the wealth and keep it in their power elite circles, while the poor continue suffering. They throw bread crumbs to the earthquake victims as if pigeons in the street. If they were to do something OUTSTANDING it would be to dedicate the Olympics to the EarthQuake Victims in Sichuan, and donate a at least 25% profits to the Quake people. This would make it a worth while Olympics.
But as it stands now.....they are a disgrace in my opinion.
at 07:42 on July 20th, 2008
Thanls djermano for the comments and flag, China certainly has had it's share of grief from Mother Nature, it was relentless.
at 06:34 on July 20th, 2008
Barry,
It's the same situation here in Vegas. These bold theives are going on roof tops, stealing from train signals, and some are even using their cars to pull the copper out of lightpoles. They just tie the wire around the bumper and floor it!
I like this story. It's great stuff.
at 07:45 on July 20th, 2008
Thanks for the comment and the flag Nuke, they go through our garbage looking for pop cans, strewing our garbage all over the place.