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A man with a blowtorch was caught slicing into a railway track beside State Highway 2 near Te Puke.
He claimed he needed the metal from the track for hangi stones, but police suspect he was one of a growing number of thieves targeting iron, steel and copper
objects for the lucrative scrap-metal market.
Worldwide, the demand for scrap metal is growing as countries such as China and India embark on an orgy of building and urban expansion.
Authorities in New Zealand say thieves are attempting to cash in on that demand by resorting to extreme methods to obtain scrap metal.
Among the most disturbing is a trend of well-equipped thieves plundering metal from railway tracks.
OnTrack says there has been a "dramatic increase" in such crimes in recent months, and in some cases thieves have turned up in light trucks with cutting equipment to plunder whole sections of track.
"They're lines that are being used, so in that sense, it is a public safety issue," OnTrack spokeswoman Ruth Larsen said.
She said that so far no one had been hurt because most incidents had happened on unused tracks and the chance of a train being derailed was slim.
But the danger to the thieves remained, particularly as they became more brazen.
"They're putting themselves at risk more than anything else."
Ms Larsen said the message was particularly appropriate as this week was Rail Safety Awareness Week.
The worst affected areas were Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu and Central Hawkes Bay.
In the past month, OnTrackhas issued trespass notices to 20people illegally caught on tracks,and the authority is also employing security guards to watch its lines.
The organisation has written to scrap dealers and provided images of stolen railway property, and police say they are also working closely with the dealers to try and stop the thefts.
They say hot-water cylinders in homes are also being targeted - they contain copper - and older cars parked on the sides of roads have fallen prey.
Rotorua police said they were now warning rental agencies to watch vacant properties to ensure thieves did not steal the hot-water cylinders.
"In some places, they've just left the place flooded," Sergeant John Cassidy said.
He said metal theft as a wholewas increasing, and last week alone, Rotorua police dealt with five incidents.
The Scrap Metal Recycling Association is also working with police to fight the problem, and has developed a theft report form for officers to use.
The association uses the completed forms to notify dealers of thefts, and says the system is decreasing the accidental purchasing of stolen metals.
