Chief Inspector Coates warns on Hailsham scrap metal thefts

The Wealden District Police Commander, Chief Inspector Dick Coates has warned that scrap metal thefts in and around Hailsham are becoming a major problem as their frequency increases.

Chief Inspector Coates says they are becoming almost a daily problem and that reports of scrap metal being stolen from benches or lead being ripped out of porches or taken from roofs at various locations throughout the Parish are coming into the police almost every day.

Chief Insp Coates said, "Probably the biggest issue for Hailsham is the theft of scrap metal at the moment. It's not a big issue but that is what hits my daily brief more times than I would like.

"British Telecom did an operation last week at a number of local scrapyards and some BT cable was recovered. I have assigned a small team to concentrate full time on metal thefts and thefts from sheds, or similar incidents."

Chief Inspector Coates said that overall levels of crime in and around Hailsham are still very low and that crime in Wealden is at a five year low with burglaries down by nearly 50 per cent since 2006-07. He said that Operation Blitz launched by the police had had a real impact on crime levels.