Police arrest six involved in $780,000 copper theft operation

A 43-year-old man charged with the theft of $215,000 worth of copper cabling and damage to telecommunication footpath pits will appear in Wangaratta Magistrates Court on September 21.

Police said the offenders used portable power tools to cut through cabling at telecommunications pits to steal large quantities of copper.

The thefts are reported to have caused significant damage to infrastructure as well as causing undue distress to the community through disruptions to internet and power services.

Detectives conducted a series of search warrants on June 29 and 30 in Bundalong, Bundoora, Cottles Bridge, Reservoir and Eltham.

Regional Crime Squad Detective Inspector Patrick Watkinson said the scale of the copper theft was "serious".

"The theft of copper causes significant damage to critical infrastructure, impacting telecommunication networks, public transport signalling and power supply," he said.

"Not only does it significantly damage critical infrastructure, it also causes undue distress and disruption to the community through the loss of internet and power services, or disruptions to transport networks.

"We are confident that the arrests made will make an impact into this type of offending.

"Our message to anyone thinking of stealing copper to make a quick dollar is simply don't; we have a number of methods allowing us to disrupt this offending as well as enabling us to identify and track down those involved."

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