A couple of years ago, Stuart told me about a few metals related thefts in his area including his own 20 ton aluminum container worth about $60,000 (at the time). Stuart maintains an ownership stake in a specialist stocking company in the UK. Then, just two weeks later, a truckload of copper worth $100,000 was stolen just outside his warehouse. They never caught the perpetrator and the police could not be bothered. I remembered thinking how clever it must be to steal semi-finished or raw metal materials. Unlike stealing the same dollar amount from a bank, a metal theft is typically not a felony (unless of course the goods are transported across state lines). So in a sense, smart criminals may find such materials well, crime-worthy, if you will. Of course they would have to do a little work to realize the fruits of their labor. I would imagine it would be hard to come up with mill test certificates. But, it’s relatively easy to create a packing list, invoice etc. One would only need to pull and test a few samples to determine the alloy, chemical composition etc to pitch it to the local scrap dealer. But I had taken Stuart’s story as a random act. Random and stand-a-lone. But given rising metals prices, dear Stuart is not the only victim of metal theft. Consider these examples:
- Newsweek recently reported that thieves were stealing catalytic converters (for the platinum content) from police impound lots.
- In Washington state, thieves stole bronze headstones from a cemetary .
- In a more outrageous example, two vans with five people carried off approximately $60,000 worth of lead from a UK concert hall roof.
- Continuing on the outrageous or not-what-you-would-think theme, I saw this headline…about thieves stealing brass water valves.
- Unfortunately for this fellow, who was electrocuted stealing copper from an abandoned building, he didn’t get to reap the rewards of his theft.
Our research indicates a few other interesting findings such as these crimes are not only occurring in the US. They are occurring all over the world. It is no longer just drug addicts that are committing the crimes for a quick buck. The primary buyers of these materials include scrap yards and scrap dealers (which may not appear as a surprise to anyone) Because there is such great demand for metals, scrap dealers, historically, have not questioned their sources of supply in terms of product origin.
The good news however, is that many local governments are looking at new regulations and laws to curb metals-related thefts. Some of the provisions include things like scrap dealers registering their business and keeping detailed records, sellers would need to show a photo ID and in some cases provide a thumbprint, age requirements for sellers and limitations on those that can sell scrap air conditioning parts made of copper (e.g. compressors).
The Scottish Business Crime Center has published a wonderful checklist of preventative measures any industrial products company can take. For those of you considering making your catalytic converters a little more secure, consider buying yourself a spot welder! Apparently, a little spot weld makes it trickier to rip them off!
–Lisa Reisman
