Seven people from Queanbeyan were arrested and charged for stealing approximately 14km of copper wiring from the Yass–Bowning railway line.
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The thefts occurred during a four-week period in February 2018.
Officers from The Hume Police District conducted an operation in response to the thefts, catching a number of the offenders on Wednesday, February 28.
As a result of investigation by detectives, numerous search warrants were executed on Thursday and Friday, March 1–2, resulting in the indictment of seven people.
The group consisted of six males and one female ranging in age from 33 to 52 years old.
All offenders were charged with at least one count of larceny and trespassing and endangering persons on a railway.
Two were additionally charged with receiving stolen property.
They will appear at Queanbeyan Local Court on Monday, April 16.
Overall, a very successful operation and an outstanding result not just for Yass Valley but also other areas these crooks might have targeted, but now they can’t because we got them off the streets.
- Alison Brennan, Yass Police inspector
Yass Police inspector Alison Brennan said it was a strong collaborative effort among local general duties police, detectives and the district’s proactive crime team.
“With assistance from police at Monaro LAC to execute a number of search warrants, our investigators left no stone unturned.
“Overall, a very successful operation and an outstanding result not just for Yass Valley but also other areas these crooks might have targeted, but now they can’t because we got them off the streets,” Inspector Brennan said.
She said there would now be a heavy burden on the Australian Rail and Track Corporation (ARTC) to replace the missing wiring.
This railway line is used for both commercial and freight services, with the copper wiring being integral to the signalling system.
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Bas Bolyn, general manager at ARTC, thanked the combined efforts of the various police units.
“We applaud the police’s hard work on this issue and really appreciate their continued support and efforts on responding to these crimes.
“Line wire theft is a persistent, dangerous, expensive and difficult issue the rail industry faces.
“It causes significant disruption to rail operations, there are safety risks, it imposes large costs on rail network operators like ourselves,” he said.
Mr Bolyn said delays, level-crossing impacts and other factors from copper-wire thefts affect all aspect of the community.
“We strongly encourage the community to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity around the rail corridor to Crime Stoppers,” he said.
