The theft of copper is on the rise
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (383767)
Rockingham, Australia
July 2, 2026 3:42am CST
Are other countries having increased thefts of copper items? Stealing copper wiring is a real problem here due to its high resale value. New housing estates are commonly targeted with copper wire being removed from building sites and sold to scrap merchants.
There have been some very brazen raids. The latest has been the theft of four tugboat propellers, weighing eight tonnes in total and worth about $2 million. It’s believed that thieves used heavy machinery to break into an industrial yard near Dampier about 1,530 kilometres north of Perth. The theft was not noticed, and consequently not reported, for five months.
The only good thing about the theft is that the thieves are likely to find it difficult to get rid of the anchors.
The photo is mine.
13 people like this
12 responses
@AmbiePam (122097)
• United States
8h
Oh yes, it’s been a problem in the United States for decades. Our church had the copper wire stolen out of the air conditioners twice before they finally put a cage over the air conditioners. I kind of think you have to be really low to steal from a church. Of course, it’s plain old wrong no matter who they steal it from.
3 people like this
@rsa101 (41319)
• Philippines
8h
Oh wow, it’s strange and bold to try stealing a propeller. Back in my area, the common targets were the electrical wirings from electric posts. It used to be rampant, especially in the provinces where they could easily take them from isolated spots and resell the wires as scrap metal. I think the big syndicates behind it have been caught, because it has slowed down here and I haven’t heard any news about cable theft lately.
3 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43957)
• Denver, Colorado
2h
Yes, here in Denver they've been stealing it from the Light Rail, thus causing disruptions in train service. They also steal it from the bases of street lights.
@Ineeddentures (36931)
•
4h
Lead and Copper theft have always been big business here Judy.
Even from Church roofs.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (209975)
• United States
7h
Yes, people steal copper here too. I haven't heard a lot about it lately though
@wolfgirl569 (136767)
• Marion, Ohio
3h
That was a brave theft. It was bad here and they started requiring id at the junkyard when selling. That seemed to help
@MarieCoyle (59971)
•
3h
There have been instances I have heard about where empty homes, homes for sale, etc. are often targeted for this and copper wiring removed by thieves. They spend more time trying to steal than they would spend on working a job...go figure.
Our junkyards, etc. now require to see ID to sell anything to them.
