Copper BT cable thieves were forced to flee the scene after police were alerted instantly during trials of a new security system launched nationwide today.

RABIT can detect when a cable has been cut or damaged and send police to the location within minutes of an incident.

It’s been deployed to deal with rising cable theft – mostly by organised gangs. BT recovered 240 tonnes of stolen metal in the past 11 months, as a result of visits to scrap metal dealers and targeted Police operations.

If you’d like to keep up-to-date with this story, why not follow this link to our BT anti-copper-cable-theft strand?

Luke Beeson, general manager, BT Security, said: “BT’s new burglar alarm on the network will make thieves think again.

“We are now able to inform the Police of the exact location of malicious network attacks and, if trials are anything to go by, it won’t be long before they start catching the thieves in the act.”

More than 480 arrests were made in relation to BT cable thefts in the last 11 months, more than the total of 446 for 2010.

Paul Crowther, Deputy Chief Constable of the British Transport Police and metal theft lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “This technology will significantly improve Police response times to cable theft incidents and will act as a major deterrent to criminals engaged in this activity.

“Communities and businesses should see a sharp reduction in the disruption caused by this type of theft. This is an early example of how Government funding has helped the National Police Metal Theft task Force, and assist BT in the battle against cable theft.”

BT employs other security measures including SmartWater, an invisible paint that tags thieves, and a BT Openreach partnership with Crimestoppers.

In November 2011, the Government announced that £5 million would be put aside to help establish a dedicated metal theft taskforce to enhance law enforcement activity in this area.