Two men were arrested after police thwarted an "audacious" scrap metal theft from under a nearly 100-year-old bridge in Waikato.
At around 6pm yesterday, officers on a "routine patrol" on SH25 in Kopu near Thames spotted a vehicle they recognised as belonging to an "individual with a proclivity for scrap paraphernalia".
The officers heard "loud banging, smashing, and crunching" coming from underneath the Kopu Bridge, opened in 1928, and over the water.
“You don’t need to be a bridge expert to know those sounds aren’t normal," Inspector Mike Henwood said.
The officers called for backup and watched the alleged offenders from the parallel Waihou River Bridge, blocking their escape routes.
“After nearly an hour, the offenders gradually worked their way back along the girders and found police waiting for them," Henwood said.
A vehicle search uncovered numerous items of "butchered" metal, including wiring from under the bridge.
“It wasn’t scrap metal before they got to it, but they’ve smashed through wood on the girders to access the wires and caused a decent amount of carnage," Henwood said.
Two Thames men, aged 42 and 56, were charged with theft and wilful damage.
The 42-year-old was due to appear in the Hamilton District Court, while the other man will appear in the Thames District Court on November 17.
“This offending is especially frustrating because the damage that’s caused far outweighs the few dollars they would have made if we hadn’t stopped them," Henwood said.
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