Sponsored by
No let up in war on North Northamptonshire's metal thieves
METAL thieves have targeted churches 69 times and schools 55 times this year.
Last year, hundreds of churches, schools and community centres fell victim to metal thieves, with the number of incidents peaking in autumn when there were around 130 thefts.
But reports dropped in January to just over 40.
The latest figures, released by the ComPaSS unit – a north Northamptonshire group including police and local councils – show which areas experienced the worst problems over the past year.
Eight per cent of all lead thefts, 46 crimes, happened in the Swanspool area of Wellingborough, while thefts across Kettering accounted for 38 per cent, with 221 incidents. Churches made up 12 per cent of all premises targeted while 9.5 per cent of those affected were schools.
Northamptonshire Police had dedicated officers looking at the growing number of lead thefts and churches started using SmartWater liquid, which is used to identify and trace stolen goods.
Churches also provided samples of lead when scientific support officers teamed up with the University of Leicester to find a new way of linking the offenders to the crime.
A police spokesman said: "In the second half of 2007 and the beginning of this year there was a significant rise in the number of metal thefts across Northamptonshire.
"However, there has been a decrease in the number of metal thefts since the beginning of the year.
"This is partly due to a drop in the price of metal and partly due to the pro-active work which has been carried out by the force."
The Rev Simon Dommett camped out at All Saints Church in Great Harrowden while repair work was carried out because thieves had already struck three times.
He said: "I look after five churches and every one of them have had one or more attacks. Insurance companies have been hit by so many claims that their cover now stops at 5,000, where as it used to be 25,000.
"We have installed alarms on the roofs of our churches but that costs more than 2,000 each time."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
