Two men charged with scrap metal thefts

Two men charged yesterday with the theft of scrap metal in Greytown may be linked to other metal stolen in the region, police say.
The Lower Hutt men, 44 and 48, were arrested on Tuesday afternoon for allegedly attempting to steal copper from the grounds of the old Greytown Hospital, after the ground's caretaker raised the alarm.
Senior Sergeant Warwick Burr, of Masterton, said police were alerted to some banging and crashing coming from the hospital and a suspicious looking utility vehicle hanging around about 4pm on Tuesday.
Police found the building had been broken into and scrap metal, predominantly copper with a value of $400-$500, stacked up on curtains ripped from the walls.
The thieves had vanished by the time police arrived, but a short time later a man driving a vehicle matching the caretaker's description was stopped in South Wairarapa.The second man was found hiding in the hospital grounds.
Both were charged with burglary and appeared in Masterton District Court yesterday.
Last week there were half a dozen thefts of scrap metal and two burglaries, and Mr Burr didn't rule out the two arrested men having a part in those offences.
Scrap metal thefts were on the rise in the Wellington region, probably driven by high international prices, he said.
"It has become a bit of a crime trend. It's a district-wide thing, and if you looked at it, probably a national thing."