Reports of electricity theft soar by 50% in a decade

Reports of electricity theft – where meters are tampered with or bypassed to avoid paying charges – to Greater Manchester Police have risen by 51% in the last decade, BBC analysis has revealed.

The number of offences recorded in Greater Manchester rose from 288 in 2012/13 to 434 in 2022/23, the third highest number of offences in the year behind the West Midlands and West Yorkshire police forces.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit also looked at the rate of electricity theft offence per 100,000 people to counter a bias towards heavily populated urban areas.

In Greater Manchester, this was again the third highest in the country at a rate of 16 offences per 100,000 people.

Stay Energy Safe, which is run by the independent charity Crimestoppers working with the energy sector, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council have linked electricity theft with organised crime, particularly with cannabis farms, with the NPCC saying the issue is “a growing problem.”

Various techniques can be used to steal electricity, but there have been recent reports of an increase in energy related scams promising to reduce costs by illegally tampering with or removing meters.

Ofgem, the government regulator for electricity and downstream natural gas markets in Great Britain, requires suppliers to take reasonable steps to identify theft and take action to prevent it.

The punishment for electricity theft is a fine and sentencing of up to five years, depending on the severity of the crime. 

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson said: “The theft of electricity is a growing problem. It is a concerning crime as it can put people’s safety at risk, and support the activities of serious organised crime.

“We know that energy theft holds a significant connection with illegal drugs, and in particular cannabis cultivation, and that this can act as a gateway to other serious crimes that have a very real and negative impact on our communities.

“It is important for businesses and commercial enterprises, particularly those who operate out of large or isolated premises, to remain vigilant around energy theft and report any tampering of their electrical systems to their energy provider, and the police.”

Assistant commissioner at the London Fire Brigade, Charlie Pugsley said criminal activity including “anything from cannabis cultivation to Bitcoin mining” was largely behind the rise, but he said many others were tampering with meters because they were “desperate to survive” amid soaring energy costs.  

He said: “Certainly in some areas we've seen a lot of cases of electricity being stolen for that purpose [criminal activity], which adds another hazard to our operations. 

“But then, of course there is a cost of living. People have seen huge price rises, so while we clearly can't condone theft of electricity, it’s not unexpected. 

“You will see people who might be desperate just to survive, because in the world we live in it’s quite difficult to get by without electricity, so there may be activity due to cost of living.”

Mr Pugsley continued: “Electricity theft is a concern for fire and rescue services across the country, because it does increase the risk of a fire starting.

“People who might be living or working or playing in properties where there might be a theft of electricity are at a much higher risk.

“In a lot of cases, what you actually get is people bypassing the meter, and the level of competency, in terms of how that is done, is generally at the dangerous end of what we'd expect. There's a chance of a fire breaking out because the circuit’s been overloaded, and you've got a risk of exposed wiring where people can come into contact with - a very small amperage of power can actually cause a fatality.”

He added: “When you have criminal activity that's a matter for the police and the electricity company. However, if we come across it, we will need to report it, because it's a hazard, and I think sometimes people don't always understand that it's not just the person committing criminal activity, but it's the risk to other people around them. 

“I’ve personally seen many tragic cases where there's been cannabis cultivation in the property and the fire that's being caused by the theft of electricity, and the bad wiring in there, has caused a fire to impact and burn through in neighbouring properties.

“There are members of our community who have got absolutely nothing to do with it, but they're losing their homes. And they've been put at risk. Particularly if you've got vulnerable people there, there is a real risk to life.

“We would always recommend that people absolutely avoid any activity like that because it bypasses safety systems and it creates a bigger risk.

“Our direct experience is that there are often unintended victims of these crimes, and it's really quite sad when somebody is injured or loses their home.”

Other reports also suggest the cost-of-living crisis has contributed to the recent spike. A survey of 150 electricians by insurance company Direct Line found more than a third had been asked by clients about illegally tampering with meters during the past year.

A spokesperson for Crimestoppers said the charity had seen an increase in the number of people contacting them about energy theft year on year since 2016.

They said: “Stay Energy Safe is a way for people to report their suspicions of meter tampering and energy theft completely anonymously.

“It is impossible for us to prove that this year’s increase is fully or partly due to the current economic climate. This is because it’s those with suspicions and not the perpetrators who contact us – so we are unaware of the real motivations behind the rise in this type of crime.

“We can also only comment on the volume of information that is passed on via our service, 100% anonymously, which represents only a proportion of the wider picture.”

Anyone with any information in relation to electricity being dishonestly used should contact police. You can report online at www.gmp.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.