Cambridge copper wire thefts a focus for police

Copper wire thefts continue to be an issue across Canada, but it’s hitting especially close to home in Waterloo Region.

Businesses in Cambridge, most notably near Highway 401, say the crime is becoming all too common. Cambridge Ward 1 Councillor Helen Shwery took to social media, saying copper wire thefts are a “huge” problem in the city and is trying to raise awareness.

The rise in thefts prompted Connie Cody, the Conservative MP for Cambridge, to push for a crackdown on scrap yards that buy stolen copper wire.

Last month, she introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons that would make it a crime for scrap metal dealers to trade, traffic or have for sale any scrap metal that was known to be stolen, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a jail sentence of up to two years.

Waterloo Regional Police Chief Mark Crowell told The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NewsRadio that officers are very much aware of the issue.

“Even for a small piece of scrap metal coming out of air conditioner units and so on, it can be tens of thousands of dollars of damage for a couple of hundred dollars of metal,” said Crowell.

“It’s often a small network of people that are either local or coming to take advantage of opportunities within the region, so the ongoing reporting is crucial. We have multiple projects, we are focusing on prolific offenders, people known to be involved, and we have made some significant arrests and investigative inroads.”

In January, Waterloo regional police charged two men in Kitchener with a long list of offences in connection with copper thefts.

“Sometimes it’s acts of desperation where people are simply trying to fuel, you know, whether it can be a drug addiction or some of those legitimate survival concerns, but most often this is a coordinated organized crime.”

Crowell adds the copper wire thefts often fuel other organized crime practices.