Copper wire thieves moving west, Roma police suspect

The practice of stealing copper wire, resulting in fires and significant disruptions to the electricity network, has been growing statewide, according to Ergon Energy figures.

From 119 incidents of copper theft from Ergon and Energex's overhead and underground networks in 2020, some 202 thefts were recorded in 2021, increasing to 338 in 2022.

So far this year, that figure stands at 51 occasions.

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said that anecdotally, there has been an increase in the theft of disposable commodities across the south west district.

"The Dalby Criminal Investigations Branch, working with the Major and Organised Crime Squad (Rural), have caused significant disruption to the operations of various criminal networks operating in the Western Downs Patrol Group," the spokesperson said.

"Recent information suggests this practice is moving westwards and several incidents have been reported in the Roma Patrol Group, (which is increasing) the distribution of resources to investigate offences and target offences of this nature."

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According to a post on a community discussion page for Roma, fires had been found on a reserve close to town, which on inspection showed they'd likely been started in order to melt the plastic coating off copper wiring.

The people who reported the incidents said they were used to kids starting fires on the reserve but fires of the last fortnight or so had been a lot more constant.

"This burning cables and leaving reels around is new," they said. "We worry where these fires might end up too."

Ergon Energy's area manager Wayne Alderman said they were worried someone was going to get hurt, or worse, "for the sake of a few bucks".

"Stealing copper from the electricity network is extremely high risk for very little reward," he said.

"By interfering with the electricity network, you are risking your life and endangering others, including members of the public and Ergon crews who work on this infrastructure.

"We've seen some shocking incidents, including one earlier this year where a thief attached a car to a live 11,000-volt underground cable, which was secured to a pole.

"The live cable was torn off the pole and when it hit the ground a flashover occurred, starting a grassfire."

On another occasion last year, a person armed with an axe struck a power pole multiple times in an attempt to steal copper wire, sparking a pole fire and an emergency power outage.

Mr Alderman said there had been multiple incidents where members of the public have attempted to steal copper assets, using various uninsulated tools, such as an axe, where flashovers have occurred because the electrical assets were energised.

"There's a risk of burns, step-touch potential shock and electrocution," he said.

Copper earth wires are a critical safety feature of the overhead network, redirecting energy, such as that from a lightning strike, into the ground.

Without the earths, infrastructure can become live, and voltage can run through fixtures in nearby homes.

"Interfering with the live electricity network could lead to significant burns, disfiguring injuries or death," Mr Alderman added. "Ergon's equipment is easy to identify and we work closely with scrap metal merchants to circumvent the trade in stolen copper."

The QPA spokesperson agreed that metal theft exposed thieves, legitimate workers and the wider community to significant risk of serious injury or death.

They urged people to keep a look out for suspicious activity including people removing items from farms, construction sites, sporting fields, energy and water supplies, and community venues, such as halls.

"Suspicious activity includes people removing items from these locations by individuals or small groups - most construction and utility sites will take delivery but not have items removed," the advice stated.

"Thieves may hide in plain sight and look legitimate by wearing high visibility clothing and driving construction vehicles like utilities, vans and trucks.

"The community can look out for discarded cable insulation, open access to utilities and removal of materials from construction or public sites.

"Don't stay static - if it looks out of place, report it. Every scrap of information counts.

"These offences can cause an increase in end-user costs, impact productivity, cause a direct impact on individuals in the community, and result in serious injury and death to thieves and innocent victims."

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