Electricity Networks Aotearoa chief executive Tracey Kai says deaths during copper thefts at electricity lines are “traumatic” for responding staff.
Last night, a man suspected of trying to retrieve copper from a power transformer died after being found critically injured in Christchurch.
Police said inquiries were underway into the incident, "however it appears the man may have been attempting to retrieve copper from the transformer".
Today, Kai told 1News these incidents were “always sad” but were “an avoidable tragedy”.
Electricity Networks Aotearoa chief executive Tracey Kai said there has been an “escalation” in the number of incidents. (Source: 1News)
“People are always going to roll the dice if they decide to strip copper off live wires.”
She said the death highlighted the “danger of doing this”.
Two hundred thefts in three months
“This has been a long and ongoing issue for networks. While we don’t have a national database of numbers... we are aware of one lines company who has had over 200 copper thefts of the three months of this year, and that’s probably cost them around $1 million of repairs and restoration.”
She said the incidents happen in pockets, but the main centres “probably experience it more”.
“There definitely has been an escalation in incidents. I think the challenge is when these happen it is not only an interruption to electricity supply, but people are putting their own lives at risk.
“If people see these things happen, we’d really like them to report it to the police.”
Kai said when people played with electricity, there was “always a danger” of being hurt.
“Copper runs for about $15 a kilo at the moment, so you have to get quite a lot of it to actually make a decent amount of money and, the risk is, you may die if you do this.”
It's the latest in a spate of dangerous thefts over the past two weeks. (Source: 1News)
As the incident in Christchurch was still under investigation, Kai couldn’t comment on specifics – but said these incidents impacted on staff.
“It’s always really sad when someone loses a life. It’s also really traumatic for our lines staff, who have to respond to incidents when someone loses their life over copper.”
Asked if she had a message to thieves, Kai said: “It’s not worth the risk. Your life is more important than making money out of copper.
“It’s also illegal to receive stolen goods. So if you are receiving these pieces of copper, we’d really like your cooperation in reporting that as well.”
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