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Copper theft has become such an issue that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning stating that copper theft is a threat to critical homeland infrastructure. In a 2009 survey published by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, utilities in the United States reported approximately $60 million in losses and 450,000 minutes of outage time annually because of copper theft.

The electric membership corporations (EMCs) in Georgia observed the first anniversary of legislation to bring harsher penalties to those charged with metals theft. "Metals theft is not a victimless crime," says Bill Verner, vice president, government relations, communications and member services with Georgia EMC. "Consumers foot the bill for replacing and repairing the damage left by a wire thief." In 2007, the EMCs and Georgia EMC led an industry effort to craft legislation aimed at toughening the existing law. The new law, which took effect July 1, 2007, forces the defendant to make full restitution to the lawful owner of the stolen metal and allows the prosecutor to prosecute based on how much it will cost to return the affected property to its original condition and not just the salvage value of the stolen metal. According to Verner

"At the start of the decade, Network Rail was hit by a wave of cable thefts which approached 1,000 cases a year as the price of scrap copper and other industrial metals soared. New data show that thefts in England and Wales fell below 41,000 in the year 2013-14 - down from 60,000 in the previous 12 months. "In recent years, we have witnessed a huge reduction in the number of incidents of cable theft on the railway," said a Network Rail official. "Disruption caused by the crime has fallen tenfold since its peak in 2010-11, when passengers suffered more than 6,000 hours of delay." Raids on church roofs, to strip copper and lead sheeting - another traditional target for thieves seeking to supply unscrupulous metal dealers - have also subsided with the price of scrap. Other areas affected include telecommunications and power networks, road signs, memorials, libraries, schools and children's playgrounds."

"Offences involving copper theft in London shot up 85 percent last year to 1,516 from 816 in 2009, data from New Scotland Yard showed on Friday."

"To prevent the theft of these cables, Network Rail have specified Panduit super heavy duty stainless steel banding to wrap around the cables and securely strap them to the cable trough. This measure will make the cables more difficult to access and extract therefore deterring thieves owing to the considerable extra time and effort involved and the added risk of detection, apprehension and arrest. The frequency of Panduit cable locking needs to be balanced with cost and the need to maximise the quantity of locked cables as quickly as possible. As a result of this, the below table sets out how often Panduit stainless steel rail cable bands should be used."

A nationwide trend is getting to be a big problem in the Triangle: thieves making off with air conditioning units.

The agency's intelligence report on copper thefts says the thieves are now impacting critical infrastructure in the U.S. The threat assessment, released Thursday, cites a crime committed at a Polk County electrical substation as a prime example.