Deadly danger in thefts of copper

Thieves are risking their lives by stealing copper wire, police warn.
Police Constable Richard Gower of Marton said about 20 incidents of copper theft had been reported in the past five weeks in the Rangitikei district.
The thefts had mostly involved copper spouting and the copper from inside hot water cylinders.
Recently in Bulls, seven hot water cylinders had been taken, he said.
The copper had been stolen from empty houses, churches, and the brass band room at Rangitikei College, and a play centre.
Most of the thefts had occurred at night or during the weekend at properties that weren't occupied all the time.
"It's really sad, because those places are the lifeblood of the community," Mr Gower said.
There was obviously a market for the copper, although it was not worth as much as it had been in the past, he said.
Since there was no dedicated scrap metal yard in Marton, the copper was likely to have been taken out of the district and sold elsewhere, or perhaps sold to dealers.
Mr Gower said police investigators did not know whether the same group of people was stealing the copper.
However, they suspected it was since many of the cases were similar.
In Palmerston North, copper wire had been cut from about 10 transformers in Halcombe on Monday, causing power outages.
That had prompted energy company Powerco to warn people about the dangers of live wires.
Earlier this year more than 30 of the Manawatu wind turbines had had to be halted after thieves dug up their copper wires.
In doing so, the thieves had exposed themselves to the serious risk of electric shocks and electric fires.
Police would like to hear from anyone who might have information on the copper thefts, or where it is being sold.
They are also urging people to keep an eye out for any suspicious movements or noises and to note down the registration number of any vehicles or people behaving suspiciously.
For information on thefts in the Rangitikei area, call the police in Marton on (06) 327 6555 or for Manawatu, call police in Palmerston North on (06) 351 3600.