Tackling metal theft

In recent years, the problem of metal theft has been growing both in the Forest of Dean and across our country. In 2010, metal theft was the second most reported crime in the Forest of Dean. Metal theft has a real impact on many people, be it through stripped church roofs, desecrated war memorials or ripped out railway cabling. This week, the House of Commons had a chance to debate the issue.

The Government is proposing new laws to tackle this crime, which inflicts so much damage on our communities through increased insurance premiums, spoilt local landmarks and damaged national infrastructure.

The new steps outlined include banning cash payments for scrap metal and significantly increasing penalties for those who break the law. Cash payments allow anonymous transactions to take place, where there is no proof that the seller actually owns the metal being sold. People who break these new rules could face an unlimited fine.

The Government has also spent £5 million on a dedicated metal theft taskforce. The taskforce will have a significant and immediate impact: gathering intelligence on metal thieves, visiting every scrap metal dealer to assess the crime risk and working to disrupt illegal operators. The Home Secretary also confirmed to the House of Commons that she will continue to work to tackle all stages of scrap metal theft.

Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire Constabulary have already been working very hard on this issue, well ahead of these national changes being put in place. Scrap yards in the Forest of Dean have already signed up to a local code of practice. This has led to all yards in the Forest installing CCTV and enforcing a requirement for photo ID for scrap metal sellers. The ‘No ID, no cash’ rule, with a similar impact to the new national law, has already been operating successfully in the Forest for many months.

Forest of Dean District Council and Gloucestershire Constabulary have also led a meeting of neighbouring councils, who are now looking to copy the steps taken here in the Forest. This co-ordinated effort will ensure that metal thieves are not simply shifted away, but stopped altogether.

I am pleased that we have been able to take such positive measures both at a local and national level to tackle this awful, disruptive crime.

Contact me: Mark Harper MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA, mark.harper.mp@parliament.uk or www.markharper.org.

ENDS