In short:
Real estate agents say copper thieves are using online property listings to target vacant residential properties.
Copper is considered a lucrative metal to steal due to its consistently high scrap value and lack of identifying features, making it difficult for police to trace.
What’s next?
While many people believe the onus should be on scrap metal dealers to scrutinise the origins of the copper they’re buying, those in the industry say it’s not their place to assume guilt or detain people.
abc.net.au/news/copper-stolen-from-vacant-homes-in-launceston/105202688
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Shaun Wilmshurst is a recent victim in a recent spate of copper thefts targeting vacant residential properties in Launceston.
His rental property was unoccupied when thieves broke in and stole all the copper connected to the hot and cold-water unit.
“It’s never a good feeling finding out someone that wasn’t invited into your space has entered it,” he said.
“Luckily no-one was living there.”
Can you help?
- Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
- Report anonymously via the Crime Stoppers website
Tasmania Police said it had been investigating multiple reports of copper stolen from locations in the area for the past four to five months.
Statistics provided by police show there were 11 reported instances of copper theft in Launceston in February, up from three in January.
Michelle Williams is the managing director of @home Property Management Solutions, the agency that manages Mr Wilmshurst’s property.
She estimates 12 properties managed by her company have been targeted by copper thieves in the past 12 months.
“Copper pipe theft is one of the major issues we’ve been dealing with recently,”
Ms Williams said.
She said she suspected thieves were using online real estate listings to identify properties to target for copper.
“Those responsible are keeping an eye on properties that are being advertised for rent … scoping them out, waiting for them to fall vacant and then going in,” she said.
Ms Williams believes thieves tampered with the water meter at Mr Wilmshurst’s property before breaking in.
“It was vacant at the time, so I believe they attended firstly to turn the water off at the premises and then they returned the next day.”
‘Stressful’ experience for landlords
Ms Williams had plumbers attend the property the following day, with the bill for the repairs coming to $2,500.
“This is happening after the owner has already spent a significant amount of money preparing the property for tenancy … for this to happen to them, it is a very stressful experience.”
Fortunately for Mr Wilmshurst, his insurance agency will cover some of the cost of repairs, but not all home-owners have been so lucky.
“People assume that they have cover for all sorts of scenarios such as this, but in a lot of cases they don’t,” Ms Williams said.
She said prospective landlords should have “landlord-specific insurance” as soon as they decide to rent, especially with copper theft on the rise.
“A lot of people think they don’t need the landlord insurance until they’ve got a tenant moving in, which is not correct.”
She said when shopping around for insurance policies, people should ask questions about liability and theft cover while the property was vacant, and if there were any exclusions in relation to the amount of time a property was vacant.
Repair bill significantly more than copper price
Plumber Abco Blok was contracted by @home to re-plumb Mr Wilmshurst’s property.
He said he and his team were able to get water restored to the property quickly, thanks to the layout of the crawl space.
“We’ve got good access, but having good access to replace the pipes has also given good access for the thieves to be able to take the copper.”
Mr Blok said he has been called out five times over the past two months to re-plumb properties in Launceston after copper pipe thefts.
He said the amount of money thieves would be making from the stolen copper was nowhere near equivalent to the cost of the damage being done.
“At best, they might be getting $100, maybe $150 worth of copper … and that would be at best,” Mr Blok said.
“But for people, having to have their places re-plumbed can be anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000.”
Stolen copper hard to trace
Andrew Perry is the door trade supervisor at Recycal’s Launceston facility, where copper pipe and wire is commonly sold for scrap.
Mr Perry said the issue of copper theft has been ongoing due to its consistently high price on world markets, currently $10 per kilo.
“It’s not quite like gold, but it has value because of how easily it’s used and how easily it’s reused,” he said.
“Unfortunately, its use in everyday items like plumbing and wiring make it easily accessible, and there are those in our community who think it’s OK to steal it from others.”
Mr Perry says Recycal actively assists police with their investigations into copper theft.
“We’ve got our surveillance and our record-keeping, which they’re always really impressed by,” he said.
“But I have said this to the police as well … it’s not our job to assume guilt.
“All we can do is undertake the process that we’re required to regarding record-keeping and the purchasing process.”
Mr Perry said that, unlike scrap materials such as PVC pipe, copper’s lack of identifying features make it very hard to trace.
“The police have a very hard task at convicting people because of the lack of evidence,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to determine if the copper that someone has bought in matches the copper that’s been stolen.”
Police are encouraging anyone with information relating to copper theft to contact them.
The recyclers should ask where the person got the copper from. Also photo the person bringing the copper in so there is proof of who had the copper. This might deter the thieves from stealing more copper.