Abbotsford police are asking for the public's assistance in locating criminals who used a car to pull out hundreds of metres of copper wire from underground lines connecting light standards Sunday night.
APD Const. Ian MacDonald said tens of thousands of dollars of damage was done after thieves made off with several thousand dollars worth of power lines, plunging areas around McKee Road into darkness over the weekend.
"If you take the cabling out of a dozen street lamps - running under the sidewalk - that's a substantial amount of wire."
MacDonald said thieves are tying off one end of the power lines to the bumper of a vehicle and then driving away.
Thefts are on the rise, he said, and precautions taken by the city like welding down access points to the wiring to try and stop access have so far not been successful.
"We have evidence of them chiseling off the soldered plates.
"They're motivated to get in there," MacDonald said.
While stealing copper wire in this manner is very conspicuous, if no one observes the crime take place, once you have the stripped wire and it's in your possession, it's untraceable, he said.
"It's just metal."
The public needs to be more aware, and take a greater interest in anyone hanging out around lighting standards, MacDonald said.
"If they have a tool kit with them, or they are tying something to their bumper, those are called clues."
Anyone with information, or who observes suspicious occurrences happening around light standards is asked to call Abbotsford police at 604.859.5225.
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