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BT Launches Nationwide Campaign Against Cable Theft
27/07/2010
By Claire West
BT's Openreach division today launched a major new initiative against cable theft, announcing the deployment of 'SmartWater', an invisible solution which can be used to forensically 'tag' metal thieves and protect the telecoms network across the UK.
Driven by the recent surge in scrap copper prices, metal theft is a growing problem for communities across the country, as thieves target the copper contained in the local telecoms network, isolating vulnerable people and in some cases limiting access to emergency services. Last year saw an increase of 9 per cent in incidents of deliberate attacks on the BT network. Such attacks cost BT millions of pounds each year.
BT's Metal Theft Taskforce [MTT] today began a major fight back with the roll-out of innovative technology developed by scientists at British company SmartWater. The partnership operation will be supported by British Transport Police (BTP) and uses cutting-edge forensic marking and GPS tracking technologies. The aims of this will be to not only deter thefts, but to also capture and convict persistent offenders.
Bernie Auguste, Openreach Head of Security said "From now on, any criminal who targets the BT network risks being invisibly 'tagged' with SmartWater, meaning that the police can trace them, and any stolen cable or equipment, back to the scene of the crime. Cable theft affects not only us as a business, but the millions of people who rely on access to phones and broadband across the UK, and with the help of this technology we're fighting back."
SmartWater is a highly sophisticated forensic marking liquid that is unique to a particular location. It will be used to mark the outer shell and inner core of Openreach cable, along with tools and other equipment. This will allow police to irrefutably identify where any stolen items have come from.
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