Report highlights rising metal theft

   Significant theft of metals in the United States has increased by 254 percent, from 13 thefts in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 46 incidents in the first quarter of 2012, according to a report from FreightWatch International, a logistics security company.
   Freightwatch says there were more metal thefts in the first quarter than all of 2010 and over half of all metal thefts recorded in 2011.
   “Theft of copper and other metals is not unique to the United States. Theft of copper in bulk from the supply chain is occurring around the globe, not to mention the rampant stealing of valuable metals from infrastructure such as power stations, rail lines, and even home exteriors,” the report said.
   “The theft of metals and copper specifically has become nearly universal, with high rates of theft incidents being reported throughout the Americas, Europe, and Central and Eastern Asia.”
   The report mentioned that in February an electronics factory warehouse in Shiyan, China was burglarized for the fifth time in five years. Tin and copper wire worth nearly $160,000 was stolen from the warehouse by the four to five suspects.
   Also in February, thieves stole more than $6.5 million worth of metal from a warehouse in Senai, Malaysia. They hired aides to pose as security guards so they could safely steal the cargo. Police were able to arrest the six suspects, but the metal could not be recovered because it had already been sold or exported.
   It noted that some of the incidents included arms or used violence.
   On Christmas last year, “a group of 10 men in balaclavas and armed with pistols and machine guns, broke into a company’s premises in Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. Once inside the premises, the criminals tied up and gagged four guards and stole 42 platinum sheets with a weight of approximately 160 kilos used in the manufacturing of glass. The estimated loss value is around 4.3 million euros.”
   Last November, two trucks carrying about $142,000 worth of copper each were hijacked in Hungund, India and two drivers were stabbed and strangled to death before the trucks and cargo were stolen.