An Garda Síochána are appealing to the public for information after a spate of telephone cable thefts have been reported in the Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath areas in recent months.
Thieves have been targeting these cables because of the copper that is contained inside them, the Gardaí said in a statement.
Nationwide, there have been 66 reports of telephone cable thefts in the last six months alone, with the majority of these being in Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath.
The theft of these cables not only has an impact on Eir – who have to replace the cables – but to the public living in the areas where the thefts have occurred.
To date, more than 1,500 phone and internet service outages have been reported across the country due to cable thefts.
Sargent Michael Duffy with the Garda Crime Prevention Office is advising the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the gardaí.
“An Garda Síochána wish to advise that works on telephone cables do not take place during the hours of darkness and that if the public notice activity on telephone cables at night they should treat this as unusual and make contact with their local Garda Station or call 999.”
Sgt Duffy added: “These cables are located over ground on telephone poles and following these thefts cable casings are often left behind.
“Where a member of the public observes discarded casings they are urged to also make contact with their local Garda station as this information could be beneficial to this investigation.”
As well as liaising with the public on this matter, gardaí are also in touch with metal dealers and are appealing to them to come forward if they have been approached to buy significant amounts of copper.
