Theft of high voltage cables and wires increased by almost 20% between 2018 and 2022 in Rio, according to Light – Rio de Janeiro energy distributor. Crime has even damaged power supply in some areas. Rio de Janeiro has been suffering with an increase in theft of equipment, particularly of power cables made of cooper, but many more problems are caused by this type of crime. Cables are part of essential structures to the city, and when stolen can provoke power outages, the interruption of traffic lights, damages to equipment in residences and businesses, traffic jams and traffic accidents, increase the risk of crimes and more.
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Growth in Thefts
A survey carried out by Light reveals that the theft of power cables has been growing. In 2018 there were 18 cases; in 2019 the company registered 55; in 2020 there were 167; in 2021, Light had 236 cases and until August 2022, 332. However, the total number is much bigger, since Light is only one of the institutions that is affected by the same crime.
Traffic Risk
According to news outlets, in the first four months of 2023, 137 traffic lights in the city suffered damage due to the theft of electrical cables. To curb this threat, the Traffic Engineering Company (CET-Rio) decided to embed the wires that feed the equipment in the asphalt, and to concrete and weld the controller boxes, which control the traffic light system. Some poles had anti-theft claws installed.
Trains
The trains is among other services affected in Rio by the theft of cables. According to SuperVia – company the controls this service –, about 130 km of cables were stolen between March 2022 and February of 2023. This amount would be enough to make the journey between the Central do Brasil and Guapimirim stations twice.
From January to March 2023, 193 thefts were recorded, totaling more than 12 km of cables stolen in the first quarter. The Deodoro branch line appears at the top of the ranking when it comes to the number of thefts and the most problematic stretches are between Riachuelo and Engenho Novo stations and between Engenho de Dentro and Quintino. It should be noted that the Deodoro branch is the most important for train operations, as it interconnects the Japeri and Santa Cruz branches, in addition to receiving the Belford Roxo and Gramacho branches from Maracanã station.
Problems Caused by Theft
In addition to the financial damage, the theft of equipment causes inconvenience to residents and drivers, since it may cause accidents in the traffic, traffic jams, damage to home appliances and electronics, power outages and facilitate the action of criminals during the night.
Costs
In the first four months of this year, the city of Rio paid R$ 1,311,756.68 for replacing and recovering the damaged material caused by the theft of cables that are under the City Hall responsibility. During this period, 21.5 kilometers of electrical cables were stolen. On average, up to 12 traffic devices are stolen per day, according to a report by a team of CET-Rio technicians. In some cases, the same road sign is vandalized more than once in the same week.
According to the company’s loss report, from 2021 until April this year, more than 150 kilometers of electrical cables used to power transit equipment were stolen from public poles. The accumulated loss from 2021 to April 2023 is already over R$ 11 million.
In 2022, until August, Light announced that it had already spent almost R$ 1 million to recover about 60 kilometers of stolen electrical wiring.
Between February 2022 and March 2023, SuperVia had 1,701 incidents of cable theft in its system. The number represents more than four thefts per day which, in addition to representing financial losses of more than R$ 12 million for the company, also affect train operations and cause inconvenience to customers.
Specialized Gang
On Thursday (11/05), Civil Police arrested a suspect of being part of a gang specialized in theft of underground Light cables. The gang usually took advantage of the nighttime and pretended to be doing maintenance to steal the materials. Police investigations point out that the gang has been acting since 2019 and even uses uniforms and badges to infiltrate more easily and appears legit to police patrols and residents.
Most Affected Neighborhoods
In 2023, thefts have already affected around 30,000 people, who were, on average, 14 hours without power during this period. The most affected neighborhood was Recreio dos Bandeirantes, followed by São Cristóvão and Ramos.
Combat Methods
In addition to police actions, the affected companies themselves have acted to mitigate the problem. For example, Light, an energy distributor in the city of Rio, to combat this theft of cables, has been replacing the raw material of the cables. Lately, have been using aluminum instead of copper and in the case of the neutral ground cable, companies have used copper-plated steel instead of copper.
