Hotline of power engineering specialists:
For 11 months of 2019, in the Smolensk region, 23 facts of theft of material means from power facilities serviced by the branch “Rosseti Centre Smolenskenergo” were recorded. Information on them was transmitted to the police. Total material damage amounted to 981.1 thousand rubles.
Based on the results of the check of materials by police units in 2019, 16 criminal cases were initiated, decisions on refusal were issued on 4 materials, and pre-investigations are ongoing on 3.
Smolenskenergo’s security department, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, is taking measures to make guilty individuals and legal entities reimburse for material damage caused to the branch. So, for example, in January 2019, the police department in the Sychevsky district of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia “Gagarinsky”, as a result of a criminal investigation, issued an indictment against two local citizens who committed theft of aluminum wire of an overhead line last year. On 21 May, the Sychevsky District Court convicted the following persons: one offender was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison (suspended) with a probation period of 2 years; the second - for 150 hours of compulsory work. In addition, the damage was recovered from them in favour of the energy company.
The security department, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, is taking measures to make guilty individuals and legal entities reimburse for material damage caused to the branch. So, in the course of a preliminary investigation into the theft of wire on the “Lubavichi” substation’s overhead line at the Rudnyansky Distribution Zone, the legal entity voluntarily reimbursed the damage in the amount of 8 thousand rubles.
Also, at the branch’s facilities for 11 months of 2019, 47 cases of damage to electric grid facilities as a result of unintended actions by third parties were recorded. The total amount of material damage caused was more than 1 million thousand rubles. As a result of claims in 23 cases, the perpetrators voluntarily compensated the material damage in the amount of 322.58 thousand rubles. The security department of the branch, together with the interested Distribution Zones, continues to monitor the continuation of the claim work against individuals and legal entities, whose actions caused the material damage to the branch.
Smolenskenergo reminds that the theft of electrical equipment is a serious offense, which can lead not only to an emergency blackout in residential buildings and social facilities, but also to the death of the thieves themselves. According to statistics, every year from unauthorized entry into electrical installations in order to steal equipment, injuries of varying severity are received by about 14% of the total number of victims.
The power engineers continue to work to prevent theft of electrical equipment and vandalism at power facilities. In order to minimize theft risks, the power equipment of the facilities is equipped with a GSM alarm system, video surveillance and alarm systems are installed at power facilities.
Consumers can report observed facts of dismantling of power lines, theft of electrical equipment and appearance of third parties at energy facilities to the police, as well as by the number of Rosseti Centre’s Contact Centre at 8-800-50-50-115.
