Railway cable thief arrested in Nottingham as a direct result of the use of Leicestershire-based Data & Information Management Limited (DIML) equipment configured for real-time cable theft detection. DIML says next generation of products available soon.
A suspected cable thief has been arrested by British Transport Police (BTP) in the continued fight against cable theft. The man, aged 24, from Langley Mills, was arrested in the early hours after police were alerted at 1.28am that a cable theft was in progress. An alarm had been activated near Langley Mills railway station, just outside Nottingham.
Officers attended and discovered two lengths of cable had been cut from the side of the tracks. A pair of bolt croppers was also discovered at the scene. Officers searched the area and followed tracks to a nearby house, where a large amount of cable was discovered in the back yard.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged with cable theft. The case has yet to come to court.
Detective Inspector Mick Jackson of British Transport Police’s dedicated Operation Leopard team said:
“This arrest forms part of ongoing work we are undertaking with Network Rail and local police forces to tackle this crime – work which is having a great effect.”
Shaun Smith, MD of Data & Information Management Ltd, a Leicestershire-based manufacturer of network and remote management systems for railways, said:
“We are pleased that our sophisticated electronic equipment has helped with another arrest in the fight against cable theft. We have two products already deployed in railway networks, details of which we do not discuss in public. In close cooperation with NR, we are now developing the next generation of cable theft products which will become available later this year. We also have other anti-theft products at various stages of pre-development which we expect to bring to other markets early in the New Year.”
Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves.
Anyone with information about cable theft can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111or contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.
