A recent review carried out by the government showed that metal theft has fallen by more than three quarters in four years following the introduction of Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.
The Act had been introduced to tackle a growing issue of metal theft and crack down on the trade of stolen metal. Recent figures provided by the Office for National Statistics showed that the police-recorded thefts of metal in England and Wales fell to fewer than 13,000 in year 2016/17. Compared to the statistics from 2012/13, before the assent of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, the number reached 62,000. That is a significant drop and represents how effective the new legislative system is, saving the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins, said: "Metal thefts can have a hugely negative impact on victims and the wider community, particularly when items which form part of our nation's heritage such as war memorials, the statues in our parks and town centres, or other sites of religious, community or cultural value are callously targeted.
"I am pleased the Act continues to be a powerful weapon against this form of criminality and the robust measures put in place in 2013 are working to regulate the industry and deter people from stealing metal or dealing with stolen scrap metal."
Before the introduction of Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, the sectors that were severely affected by the metal theft were power, transport and telecommunications, putting national infrastructure under threat, also causing safety hazards at times.
This Act requires anyone who is a scrap metal dealer to hold a licence issued by the relevant local authority. They are also required to keep appropriate records and verify the identity and address of those from whom they receive metal.
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