Hotline of power engineering specialists:
29 June representatives of IDGC of Centre - Yarenergo division and law enforcement officers visited an illegal scrap metal receiving point in Nekrasovsky district.
The main objective of the joint action is suppression of illicit scrap turnover and identify those who can give or buy stolen metal from electric grid facilities.
Police and power engineers were interested in both official collection points, and their illegal "colleagues". Firstly, by law, it is prohibited to take electric wires from individuals. However, buyers often forget about this rule, paying money for electrical equipment of aluminum and copper alloys. In of illegal metal collection points they are not interested in the origin of metal and identification data of those persons who give at all.
During the raid a legal metal collection point and some illegal receiving points of nonferrous metals were checked. In one of them, located in the yard of a private house on the street of builders, some items of the power grid complex were found: wires and underground cables. An illegal entrepreneur through the iron door with a video intercom preferred not to go out to the inspecting people.
"Citizens residing here informally take metal for further sale. Previously, they were brought to administrative responsibility for violation of rules for handling scrap of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, so they do not have any desire to communicate with the police," said district policeman Alexey Novikov and assured that during further inspection the cable owner would be identified.
The power engineers and police constantly carry out joint raids at such points in all districts of the region. Raids are, first and foremost, a preventive and precautionary measure.
"As a rule, we know about facts of theft from signals of consumers when they report about interruption of some facilities. Immediately an emergency crew leaves for that place, conducts inspection. And if the theft is confirmed, we will contact then the security service and the police. It should also be understood that the temptation to break the law and steal part of the electrical equipment can cost lives, each year it is confirmed by tens of cases across the country," explained Chief Engineer of Nekrasovsky Distribution Zone of IDGC of Centre - Yarenergo division Vladimir Shishkin.
Please, be reminded that violators of the law are not only thieves, but metal receivers as well. Plunderers may be subject not only the compensation of damage, but also imprisonment. If you have witnessed theft of electric equipment, you may report it via the direct phone line of power engineers at 8-800-50-50-115 (toll free).