The Theft of David ——field
Recognize the name in the title? Congrats if you determined the “Copper” is missing. The commodity is being stolen and is increasingly being stolen. (FYI David Copperfield was a novel by Charles Dickens written in 1850 and is often thought to be semi-autobiographical.)
Copper theft is on the rise in Alberta. What follows is a discussion of the practice and what you can do about it. Most of the article below is taken directly from the Alberta Rural Crime Watch Association website.
Copper is disappearing from yards and construction sites overnight. Reports of stolen copper have surged throughout 2024 and into 2025. Copper theft isn’t just about missing wire or damaged equipment. When thieves get away, you’re left with costly repairs, disruptions that shut down operations, and communication outages that leave families and businesses disconnected when they need it most.
It seems like no sector is immune to this growing problem. But organizations are mobilizing, and you can take action to prevent copper theft in Alberta.
Why is copper theft booming in rural Alberta? High resale value drives much of the criminal activity. With copper prices soaring, thieves are getting a good return from scrap metal they’ve stolen.
People are facing an economic downturn and rising living costs. When people are desperate, copper theft can seem like an easy solution to immediate financial problems.
Also, once copper is stripped from its original location and sold, it becomes nearly impossible to trace. The lack of surveillance in remote rural areas means thieves often operate with little fear of being caught in the act.
Thieves are targeting copper from rural items such as farm and construction equipment, oilfield sites, grounding wires on power poles, and from visible copper lying around the farm or acreage. An emerging trend has seen criminals targeting rural broadband infrastructure and even solar farms. As renewable energy installations expand across rural Alberta, they’ve become new targets for metal thieves.
Thieves are also stealing other metals for resale, including aluminum, brass, and steel components used in telecommunications, plumbing, and agricultural equipment. Catalytic converters are a big target for thieves as they contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
Law enforcement has stepped up efforts to combat copper theft through different tactics, including bait equipment, plainclothes investigative units, and High- Altitude Surveillance Planes (HASP) to catch criminals in the act. The RCMP have also increased patrols and surveillance targeting scrap facilities and areas with ongoing thefts.
Partnerships with local utilities, municipalities, and Crime Watch groups have improved early reporting systems, while increased coordination with recyclers helps track and trace high-volume metal sales.
The Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act, which requires proper ID and traceability for sellers, has also made it more possible to legally apprehend offenders. Property crime units are making targeted arrests and building cases against repeat offenders.
Public awareness campaigns focus on knowledge sharing with communities and collaborating with Rural Crime Watch to educate the public and encourage tip submissions that help solve these crimes.
Things you can do as a property owner are the usual things you would do to keep anything else from being stolen. Have a locked gate, install driveway sensors, keep things/equipment locked up, don’t leave visible copper lying around, install motion sensor lighting, have a dog(s) and have security cameras with visible signage to deter thieves.
The key is creating multiple layers that make copper theft more difficult, riskier, and less profitable for criminals.
The cost of copper theft extends beyond property loss. When criminals damage electrical infrastructure, they create public safety risks that range from a single live wire to community-wide power disruptions. The economic impact ripples through local businesses, farms, and essential services.
As usual, follow the Rural Crime Watch practice of Observe, Record and Report. If you witness suspicious activity or have information about copper theft in your area, contact the RCMP through their non- emergency line at 310-RCMP (310-7267).
A related interesting fact is that the Canadian one cent piece (the “penny”) was 98% copper until 1997 when the copper content shrunk to 1.6%. The balance was zinc. Only a ‘whisper thin” plating of copper covered the zinc. In the year 2000, zinc was replaced by a core of steel with a small percentage of nickel. Interestingly, the copper coating increased to 4% to give it extra corrosion resistance. In 2012 the Canadian Mint permanently stopped making the one cent coin.
Dave Schroeder – HCRCWA Board Member
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