4 arrested for attempted copper wire theft in Surrey, police say

Video from the scene shows multiple police vehicles and a white pickup truck with its doors ajar. (CTV News)

Police in Surrey are commending a witness who reported suspicious behaviour and disrupted an alleged copper wire theft early Friday morning.

The incident occurred shortly after 4 a.m. near the intersection of 72 Avenue and 196 Street, the Surrey Police Service told CTV News via email.

Video from the scene shows several police vehicles blocking the roadway and a white pickup truck with its doors ajar. One person can also be seen sitting on the curb with their arms apparently restrained behind their back.

SPS spokesperson Ian MacDonald said police took four people into custody and “noticed damaged copper wires” at the scene.

“At this stage, I cannot provide the extent of the theft/damage, but as this activity was reported and responded to quickly, I believe it was minimal,” MacDonald said, adding that BC Hydro had been called to assess the situation.

Theft of copper wire is a problem BC Hydro deals with whenever there is a surge in the metal’s value.

Last year, thieves in Surrey managed to steal more than a kilometre of copper cable, weighing nearly 8,000 pounds, from a series of maintenance holes along 64 Avenue between 159 and 162 streets.

Mounties in the province’s northeast said earlier this year that thieves had made off with $250,000 worth of copper wire outside of Fort St. John.

In a December information bulletin, BC Hydro said copper thefts from maintenance holes had risen more than 300 per cent over the preceding 18 months.

The utility warned that such thefts are “not just costly, but could be potentially fatal,” as cutting copper cables is similar to tampering with a live power line.

“One wrong move can be deadly,” BC Hydro said at the time.