On February 26, the RCMP arrested two individuals suspected of trying to steal copper wire in Fredericton, N.B., thanks to an aerial alarm installed by Bell.
The telecommunications company began installing aerial alarms on its network earlier this year in response to a growing number of copper wire thefts. Since January 2022, Bell has experienced nearly 1,000 security incidents along its network with the number of copper wire thefts doubling in 2023 compared to 2022.
“Canadians deserve reliable communications networks to stay connected, reach emergency services, and conduct their daily lives,” said Marc Duchesne, Bell’s VP of corporate security and responsibility, in a statement. “We’re enhancing the security measures to our network—including the installation of aerial alarms—to better protect our critical infrastructure from vandals and hold them to account.”
The reason for the increase in incidents is due to copper’s manufacturing value. The growing use of electricity around the world has increased demand for copper as a conductor outstripping the annual production of copper mines. With copper in short supply, manufacturers are purchasing recycled copper. This means metal recyclers are keen to get their hands on the metal, paying around $5 per pound.
The only problem is that there are few laws in Canada regulating transactions with metal recyclers, allowing thieves to easily sell stolen copper. That’s why Bell has started installing alarms to prevent thieves from getting the copper in the first place. So far, the company has set up alarms in the most impacted provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec. Ontario has had the most incidents at 55 per cent, followed by New Brunswick at 23 per cent, and then Quebec at 14 per cent.
The way the alarm works is that if the copper wire cable is cut, the alarm’s system will register that no signal is passing through the cable, trigging a silent alarm that contacts local authorities.
Incidents of copper wire theft in the past have impacted entire regions of people. In November 2023, 5,000 people west of Kingston, Ont., were without power after grounding copper was stolen from a hydro pole. When stolen from a telecommunications network, it can affect internet and phone service. According to Bell, an incident like this can take 10 to 12 hours to repair.
In tandem with its alarms, Bell is advocating the federal government and provincial governments to take action when it comes to copper wire theft. This includes requiring metal recyclers to log all their transactions, as well as increasing penalties for copper wire theft. Typically, copper wire theft is charged with theft under $5,000, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison. But Alberta has started asking companies to provide the cost of damages caused by the copper wire theft, bumping charges up to theft over $5,000, which yields a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“While the addition of aerial alarms has been successful to date, more still needs to be done in order to prevent these crimes from happening and to enforce stronger repercussions,” Bell said in a statement.
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