During the April meeting of the Greater Chatham Alliance (GCA) I spoke on the problem of scrap metal theft, a crime on the rise.
Scrap metal theft includes mainly stolen copper, aluminum, brass, zinc, nickel, platinum, and bronze. These metals have value only when sold to a scrap metal dealer who arranges for the metal to be melted and reshaped for other uses.
The communities of Park Manor, Chatham, Chesterfield and Roseland Heights have been some of the latest victims of theft of Bronze mailbox covers, at the meeting there was at least 25 covers reported taken and just a week later I was informed of another 8 thefts.
Although, the criminals will receive a small amount for the bronze covers, it cost you the resident hundreds of dollars to replace.
Specifics
1. These crimes primarily occurred between the hours of 3:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
2. Not all incidents were reported to police.
3. Some people reported hearing some noises but never checked it out.
Tips
1. Keep your porch lights on at night, criminal like to work in the dark.
2. Investing in a camera system would make your property less attractive to criminals.
3. A small dog not only makes for a good friend, but it’s also territorial and will alert you of unannounced guest.
4. Engrave your items so it can be traced back to you.
5. Maintain a record of your items which would include photos and serial numbers. It’s also good for insurance purpose.
6. The police Department creates pattern based on incidents reported, so don’t feel that your incident is not important enough to report…call 911 because it’s important to the community.
7. Be involved with your local community meetings to learn and share your story.
8. Finally encourage your local officials to create stringent guidelines for scrape yards to operate under.
March Safety Tip
We will focus on:
Being a Safe Voluntary Residential Patrols
R. Wooten
