Communications cabling has been torn out of trench pipes on the Sunshine Coast, in an apparent attempt to steal copper.
Police confirmed the attempted theft of a quantity of communications cable containing copper wiring, from a site on Tablelands Road at Cooran, is under investigation.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has also confirmed there have been numerous reported instances of copper cable theft across the Queensland road network.
Cooran resident Shayne Morrison said his son-in-law was woken by noise, saw a truck and witnessed a man stealing the underground cable, accessed through a roadside pit.
“The truck’s driven up and down. He’s lifted up the cable and tore it out with rope,” he said.
“He’s pulled the cable out of the trench and then proceeded to cut it up with a reciprocating saw and throw the pieces in the back of the truck.”
Mr Murray said his son-in-law called out to the man, who got in the truck and sped off without closing the back doors.
“He’s just started the truck and took off. There were pieces going everywhere,” he said.
Mr Murray said the truck had no registration plates but was noisy, including the gears.
The man, who was wearing boardshorts, must have been “at it all night” because he was sweating profusely, he said.
There were other unconfirmed reports of cable theft at other locations in Cooran and Traveston, and a report of cable which feeds street lighting on a Bruce Highway exit having been stolen.
The circumstances of the Tablelands Road theft are similar to that of $780,000 copper cable theft in Melbourne.
Last November, police announced they had busted an organised crime racked responsible for 50 large scale copper thefts from telco pits.
They alleged the thieves used portable power tools to cut through the pits and steal the wire.
Telstra and the Department of Transport and Main Roads avoided questions about specific incidences of copper cable theft in the region but said it was an issue.
“The Department of Transport and Main Roads can confirm there have been numerous reported instances of copper cable theft across the Queensland state road network, including in the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, and Townsville areas,” a TMR spokesperson said.
“The theft of copper cables creates a risk to public safety as in many cases, the cable being removed is electrically live. “
“Repairs to damaged electrical pits, switchboards and other electrical components as a result can be costly.
A Telstra spokesperson said copper theft was an ongoing issue across Australia for many industries, including telecommunications companies such as Telstra.
“Copper cables still play an important part in our network and the impact on customers can be significant if they are unable to contact assistance in the case of an emergency. It also requires Telstra to divert work crews to restore services, delaying us from resolving other customer service issues.”
The TMR spokesperson said the department was exploring several avenues to deter and prevent further vandalism and theft to electrical infrastructure across the Queensland, including investigating new technologies to improve monitoring and security.
“Additionally, TMR is engaging with Queensland Police Service to work together to address this ongoing issue across our network.”
Telstra and TMR urged anyone who noticed suspicious activity near a pit or manhole outside of normal business hours, or a broken pit to immediately contact police.
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