BT are going to target thieves who have been stealing it’s copper cables which results in costing the company millions of pounds.
The price scrap copper means that thieves can make good money by stealing BT’s copper cables and selling it on as scrap, however this costs BT millions in replacing the copper and also causes disruptions to it’s customers who can end up cut off from BT’s network and unable to use their phone and broadband services. The theft of BT copper is on the increase with incidents last year rising by 9%.
BT are going to start spraying their cable with SmartWater which is an invisible solution that shows up under ultraviolet light. This will stay on the cable and also any thieves who get sprayed with it for up to 60 days and as it can be made to be unique to a specific location it will make it easier to pinpoint criminals to a specific crime scene.
SmartWater is also used by Network Rail who also find themselves target to metal thieves.