Rampant copper thefts have led to blackouts in N.S., police say

Paul Hollingsworth takes a closer look at the rise in copper thefts in Nova Scotia and how they're causing disruptions to crucial community infrastructure.

Copper theft in Colchester County, N.S. has become so common, police say they have now responded to more than 70 calls so far this year.

“We are often looking at calls weekly in relation to copper theft,” said Cpl. Terry Brown with the Nova Scotia RCMP, who added large quantities of copper wire can be sold for thousands of dollars. “They are cutting lines right off of power poles and removing it from the site and then bringing it to a secondary site where they are then burning the plastic coating off the wires.”

Stealing copper wire from powerlines, is not only illegal, but also dangerous given the high voltage.

“I do know there have been some people, who have stolen them right from power stations,” said John Allen, who lives in Truro.

According to the RCMP, recent copper wire theft has resulted in numerous power outages, including disruptions in Wi-Fi and telephone service, which meant some 911 calls could not be placed.

“You should be able to have 24-hour access and not be worried if something is going to happen and you can’t get a hold of them,” said Debrorah Slaunwhite, who lives in Debert and been without landline phone service for 10 days.

RCMP say they are also working closely with people who run scrap metal yards and recycling depots in the community.

“Those metal recyclers have to take a name and license plate from people turning in copper wire,” said Cpl. Terry Brown. “We’ve identified a number of different groups that are involved in this, and we’ve made arrests on three of the different groups.”

The RCMP is urging people living in northern Nova Scotia to report any suspicious activity, to help them track down copper thieves, which could lead to progress with numerous investigations in several communities.