Campaign against copper theft in Australia
Australian authorities today announced a campaign against a burgeoning black market in scrap copper that has seen thieves steal power lines and even school taps and is costing the nation millions of dollars.
Surging demand for copper in China and India has doubled the price of the scrap metal in Australia in the past four years and has led to widespread theft of copper wire and fittings. Popular targets are electricity, telecommunications and rail networks.
