Copper Theft on the Rise World Wide

Yet another effect of the swiftly changing economy world-wide has been the stunning rise in the price of copper. With reports showing that it’s jumped 300% or more in value everyone from recycling centers to new home builders to the US Treasury is being forced to reconsider their view of the once ubiquitous mineral.

An unfortunate consequence of this economic trend is an impressive uptick in copper robbery. Burglary of copper wire and tubing is being reported all over the world. In most locations construction companies have caught on and now securely store their copper supplies. But the copper that is already installed in existing homes is in jeopardy.

Abandoned and empty house are especial favorites of thieves willing to dig up yards, rip up floors and tear through walls to get at the now precious metal. They don’t always just take the copper, either. Careless thieves can puncture other pipes leading to water, sewer and even gas leaks.

What’s to be done? It’s very difficult to stop trade like this. Legitimate recycling centers will only buy from authorized sellers but there are plenty of outlets available to criminals; black-markets always spring up when enough money is involved. And with a housing crisis sweeping the US there are more and more abandoned buildings left open to thieves – an impossible situation for local police to monitor, especially with climbing fuel prices.