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Cape Town - The total number of cases of cable
theft have risen sharply over the past five years, according to the Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
The figures given in a written reply to a Parliamentary question from
Democratic Alliance MP Pieter van Dalen show that in 2003/04 there were
13 675 cases of cable theft reported, and after falling in the next year, it
rose again to more than 13 000. In 2006/07 the number of cases doubled to
27 026, and in 2007/08 rose again to 33 156.
Mthethwa declined to give the figures for 2008/09, saying they had not
yet been released. He said he was unable to put a total value of the thefts
because, he said, the stolen metal is missing and cannot be weighed.
"Furthermore, it is not always apparent whether both the direct and
indirect costs involved in the replacement of the stolen property were
recorded," he said, "and the Saps is not always aware of the market value
involved in such cases."
Mthethwa said that the police consider the theft of copper a priority
crime. "Crimes related to copper theft are managed in terms of the organised
crime approach," he said.
"In dealing with the organised crime dimension of
these thefts, nine task teams have been established at the organised crime
units.
- I-Net Bridge