Police offer scrap metal merchants pact to target thieves

Greater Manchester Police is urging scrap metal merchants in the region to sign up to a new scheme to share photographs and vehicle details of suspected metal thieves.

The Business Against Metal Theft Initiative (BAMTI) is the Force’s latest scheme to help make scrap metal merchants less vulnerable to supporting metal theft by accepting stolen goods. It is a part of Operation Alloy that was set up last year to help stem a rise in metal thefts linked to increasing lead and copper commodity prices.

Participating businesses are given a folder that contains numbered photographs of people who have been previously convicted and are suspected to be involved in related illegal activity. These are regularly updated by officers.

The folder also contains registration details and descriptions of vehicles that may be being used to transport stolen metal. Suspects featured in the folders are informed in writing that their images have been shared with scrap yards for these purposes.

Scrap yards in the scheme agree that they will not share the information in the folder with anyone who does not work on that site and that they will keep it in a secure place out of sight of customers and visitors.

Detective Chief Inspector Julian Snowball, who is leading on the initiative, said: “Over the last year we have been very active in targeting metal thieves and the scrap yards that take in stolen metals without asking too many questions.

“We will continue to actively target these criminals and rogue scrap yards.

“Through BAMTI we will now share information on suspected metal thieves and the vehicles they use with businesses who participate in this scheme.

“However businesses, whether they have signed up to the scheme or not will still need to be vigilant when accepting metals. This initiative does not absolve them of their responsibility to carry out appropriate checks on people they trade with and the goods being bought.

“Through BAMTI scrap metal dealers can quickly inform us of possible criminal activity, help us bring criminals to justice and reduce the risk of their business becoming involved in supporting metal thieves.”