Cable theft resurgence serving to “undermine Britain’s rail network”

Earlier this year, and just weeks before the Wigan-Bolton line was set to go live; over £100,000 worth of high voltage cable was stolen. With Network Rail and British Transport Police reporting thefts since 2023 costing taxpayers over a million pounds along the Welsh border routes alone, the message is clear: it’s time to adopt a smarter and more co-ordinated security approach.

“Our railway network is vulnerable,” asserted Dawson, “and the weaknesses are all too clear to those involved in security and the criminals we are trying to deter. There’s nothing we can do about the remoteness and exposure of our railways. It’s a geographic fact. Securing vast tracts of complex infrastructure is a challenge, but by adapting to threats as they evolve, we can counter even the most organised and co-ordinated crimes.”

An example of the way in which crime is evolving on the networks and becoming more organised is that gangs are now known to impersonate rail workers, conducting night-time activity and using seemingly legitimate vehicles and tools to camouflage their intentions.

The days of amateur opportunists are fading, while those criminals who do take a chance usually abandon their venture when they realise the physical difficulty of removing such heavy materials.

Detection systems

Detection systems introduced across the network such as forensic marking, cameras and sensors are helpful, but not infallible: a situation not helped through patchy or inconsistent protocols or, worse still, they have simply not been deployed comprehensively.

“The sophistication of criminal groups operating increasingly against rail networks and other Critical National Infrastructure demands equally sophisticated and comprehensive counter measures,” observed Dawson.

According to Dawson: “What we need is much better co-ordination and the smarter deployment of resources. A tech-led and predictive approach to security using intelligence from drones and other surveillance tools to identify unusual behaviour goes hand in glove with conventional physical patrols. Key to success is in the communication between rail operators, the police and security companies. We know this works because we have seen it first-hand when securing remote environments and high-risk zones in other sectors. We also know what scalable protection looks like.”

While technology such as drones, Artificial Intelligence (AI) analytics and forensic tagging provide powerful tools in the fight against cable theft, it’s important not to overlook the critical role of professional security officers. In many cases, they serve as the first line of deterrence and, often, the last line of defence when remote railway infrastructure is under threat.

“Security officers provide what machines cannot,” suggested Dawson. “Adaptability, judgement and a physical presence that has long been proven to deter opportunistic and organised criminal activity. Their presence alone is often enough to disrupt attempts at theft, particularly so when criminals are unsure as to how quickly law enforcement might arrive.”

Officers who are well-trained and embedded into a wider and intelligent security framework can act decisively and provide valuable real-time intelligence for Control Centres. Whether stationed at high-risk cable storage depots, patrolling vulnerable rail corridors or shadowing maintenance crews to prevent impersonation by criminal gangs, officers can cover the ‘blind spots’ where cameras and sensors might fail.

Moreover, officers trained in behavioural detection techniques can identify suspicious activity before it escalates into a crime, which is something even the most advanced algorithm might miss. Their capacity to interact with the public, liaise with the Emergency Services and act immediately in dynamic scenarios brings a human layer of protection that cannot be replicated.

Value of training

“We’ve seen first-hand the value of trained officers in preventing cable theft before it begins,” urged Dawson. “In high-risk environments, their presence not only acts as a visible deterrent, but also as a critical link in the chain of communication between site management, technology systems and, ultimately, law enforcement.”

In the broader context of national infrastructure protection, security officers must be viewed not as an optional add-on, but rather as a core component of a truly integrated approach. Strategic deployment, guided by intelligence and predictive threat modelling, can ensure limited resources are used efficiently, targeting known ‘hotspots’ and responding dynamically to emerging threats.

When supported by real-time data, equipped with mobile surveillance tools and empowered with authority through clearer co-ordination with the police and rail operators, security officers become far more than static figures: they become agile and proactive assets in a national security strategy.

The use of technology and AI provides an important development in ways to analyse ‘hotspots’ and build systems to predict vulnerabilities and prevent theft. Real-time monitoring allows for immediate detection and the response to suspicious activities.

Missing an opportunity

According to Dawson, private security firms and public agencies operating in isolation are missing an opportunity to create a national and long-term infrastructure security model.

“Information and data must be shared, so too the pooling of resources and expertise to ensure that wide areas of our national infrastructure – often lying in remote and inaccessible parts of the country – are comprehensively monitored through a co-ordinated approach. In turn, this alleviates pressure on stretched police forces, while also serving as a force multiplier for those security companies involved.”

However, there also needs to be updated legal consequences of cable theft to match the seriousness of the threat. Currently, cable theft is covered by the Theft Act 1968, which means criminals convicted of theft can face up to seven years of imprisonment. In a recent case, three people were imprisoned for only 14 years in total for committing 31 offences over nine months. “It’s clear for criminal gangs to see that the risk-to-reward ratio is in their favour,” noted Dawson. “Until it isn’t, they will continue to be tempted.”

In order to eliminate the threat of cable theft once and for all, Dawson believes we must stop treating this as an isolated crime, but rather as a national security issue. That means combining ‘on the ground’ security officers with AI-powered surveillance, drone-based monitoring and real-time data sharing between rail operators, the police and private security companies.

In a hard-hitting conclusion, Dawson commented: “Yet without legislative reform to raise the penalties and more appropriately reflect the impact of these thefts on public safety and the national infrastructure, deterrence will fall short.”