Thieves in Errington and Qualicum Beach have targeted telecommunication lines over the past week in a bid to collect and sell the copper inside. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

STOLEN WIRES

Internet, 911 interrupted by copper wire thefts in Oceanside region

Oct 17, 2019 | 3:55 AM

PARKSVILLE — Thieves around Qualicum Beach and Errington were busy over the last 10 days.

Oceanside RCMP reported five thefts or attempted thefts of Telus communications lines in the region.

Cpl. Jesse Foreman said the work put into these thieving isn’t profitable and is instead more of an inconvenience.

“It looks like thieves are trying to get at the copper that’s in those lines, but after speaking with Telus the amount of copper they’re getting is not very valuable for all the efforts that are going into this.”

The lines include phone and internet connections to area residents, as well as more vital communications like 911.

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“Having those lines down for several hours can be a big inconvenience, if not a safety hazard,” Foreman said.

Foreman said all of the incidents took place overnight in different areas, making it difficult to patrol.

RCMP are operating under the assumption the same suspects are involved in all recent cases.

“We believe in at least one case there was a vehicle involved where they’ve grappled lines and pulled on them.”

Foreman said vandalism and theft of this nature is a major burden for telecommunication companies, involving large costs for call outs and overtime, as well as diverting crews from scheduled projects.

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