Two power poles have been chopped down by thieves to carry off copper wiring while cutting the power supply to Marton households.
Residents along Turkina Valley Road near Christophers Road experienced an electricity outage, which alerted the power company between 4.15am and 4.30am on October 24.
Authorities were made aware of the incident later that morning around 10am, when they discovered around 300m of copper had been taken from the power lines.
Electricity Networks Aotearoa chief executive Tracey Kai said there has been an “escalation” in the number of incidents. (Source: 1News)
Marton Prevention Sergeant Colin Wright said the robbery was not only annoying and costly for the residents and power company, but also potentially harmful for those involved.
“It is going to cost approximately $500,000 to replace what was stolen – thefts of this nature are extremely inconvenient for not just the power companies, but also the residents affected by the inevitable power outages," he said.
“Further to this, it is also very dangerous to tamper with powerlines and anyone who does so risks seriously injuring themselves or others."
Police asked any witnesses with information to come forward, including those with CCTV or dashcam footage that could help investigations.
“Three hundred metres of powerlines is not a something that can be easily concealed, we believe there will be someone who has potentially seen another person with the wiring or know where it is – do the right thing and contact us,” Wright said.
The appeal was also directed at scrap metal dealers, encouraging them to report any suspicious metal immediately.
“I want to remind scrap metal dealers that it is illegal to purchase stolen copper or metal, and while it can sometimes be hard to detect, we urge you to report any suspicious sales or attempted sales to Police immediately,” Wright said.
It's the latest in a spate of dangerous thefts over the past two weeks. (Source: 1News)
Information can be given via 105, referencing file number 261027/8281, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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