Crime nets cast by Masterton police into copper thefts across the region have led to the arrests of two men for unlicensed dealing in scrap metal.
Masterton police sergeant Neil Foote, of the Wairarapa Crime Control Unit, said two Masterton men have been arrested in separate inquiries, charged respectively with dealing
in scrap metal and selling used copper products without a Second Hand Dealers Licence.
One of the men is the manager of a company, he said, although he was not charged with buying stolen copper or scrap metal.
Mr Foote said the arrests were made after police spoke with scrap metal agents and second hand dealers in Wairarapa and Wellington.
"The instances of copper products being stolen is currently a problem that is being experienced on a national scale," Mr Foote said.
Masterton police this month seized a carload of suspect used copper.
The copper was seized when police searched a vehicle under warrant after stopping a motorist travelling south on State Highway 2 on November 6, only days after two Lower Hutt men, 44 and 48, were arrested for allegedly attempting to steal copper from the grounds of the former Greytown Hospital.
Senior Constable Tony Matheson, of Masterton, earlier said the police had "sufficient reason" to seize the metal discovered on November 6, which included copper guttering, copper pipe, and copper cylinders.
"We're investigating with a view to laying charges," Mr Matheson said.
Mr Foote said police investigations are continuing into the reported thefts of used metal and copper, and he encouraged people to report suspicious activity and warned owners of property with a copper component "to be aware of the current crime trends and take adequate measures".
