The rising value of copper has made it a coveted commodity for metal thieves and now the B.C. government is cracking down on those potential future thefts.
There have been several cases in the Cowichan Valley, including one in January, 2012, when $2,000 worth of copper wiring was stolen from a business in Glenora. Duncan/North Cowichan RCMP Cpl. Kevin Day is praising the government's new rules, which he believes will help track down the culprits.
“Being able to identify the metal and ultimately being able to provide charges to the Crown, it’s a challenge,” he admitted. “And with these sort of regulations in place, it’ll assist us not only to track metal better, but also… with these checks and balances in place, it may deter some of the metal thieves out there.”
The government said the stolen metals over the years have amounted to tens of thousands of dollars. Under the new regulations, people trying to sell metals known to be targeted by thieves, must show identification. In turn, the purchasers have to report the information to the police.
One local company in the Cowichan Valley doesn’t foresee the new rules being a hardship on their business. A spokesperson for Steel Pacific Recyclers on Vancouver Island, Caroll Taiji, believes the changes will benefit the entire industry.
“I think the great thing about the legislation is it means now that everybody has to have standards at the same level, and so it’s really going to make it very, very difficult for people to be in the market of stolen metals.”
The regulations go effect July 23 to give companies time to adjust to the new reporting requirements.
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