BT alarm to catch cable thieves in seconds

BT IS installing new technology in a bid to cut the number of cable thefts, a problem it says costs the company and its customers millions of pounds each year.

The Rapid Assessment BT Incident Tracker (Rabit) is a burglar alarm that the telecoms company said can act within minutes and alert security and police to the precise location of a cable theft.

The technology constantly monitors the BT network and detects when communication has been disconnected.

It was piloted in December and will now be installed across the country, monitoring the company’s UK telephone and broadband network.

BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said it “will make thieves think again”.

He added: “We are now able to inform the police of the exact location of malicious network attacks and, if trials are anything to go by, it won’t be long before they start catching the thieves in the act.”

Earlier this month it was announced that scrap yards could be forced to end cash-in-hand payments and submit to tougher licensing and regulations as Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill looks at ways of tackling the escalation of thefts in cable and metal from the nation’s infrastructure.

The cost to the UK economy of the crime, which has risen alongside the increase in value of scrap metal, has been estimated to be as high as £770 million by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Following the conclusion of the Scottish Government’s consultation to improve standards in the industry, Mr MacAskill said that they take metal theft “extremely seriously”.

He said: “This is not a victimless crime, the impact is enormous – businesses face repair bills of tens of thousands of pounds, communities lose essential services and there are huge hidden costs to the economy due to delays to major transport routes and business services.

“Thieves may make only a relatively small amount of money, such as £50, from stolen metal and that’s why removing the attraction of easy ‘ready cash’ payments is one way to help stop this scourge.”

It particularly affects the rail industry and utility companies while the theft of sculptures and memorials affects communities across the country.

In November, the UK government pledged £5m to help establish a dedicated metal theft taskforce.

The deputy chief constable of British Transport Police, Paul Crowther, believes Rabit will improve police response times to cable theft incidents.

He said: “Communities and businesses should see a sharp reduction in the disruption caused by this type of theft. This is an early example of how government funding has helped the National Police Metal Theft Task Force assist BT in the battle against cable theft.”

Police estimate that about 80 per cent of the thefts are carried out by organised crime gangs.