Bell installs 'aerial alarms' to thwart copper wire thieves

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In an effort to combat increasing copper wire thefts, Bell Aliant said it is installing what it calls “aerial alarms,” and claiming at least one successful arrest in New Brunswick already.

The alarms are designed to alert police in real time so they can respond quickly and catch those responsible, the telecom company said in a news release.

While the alarms are being installed across its entire Canadian network, the main focus is in areas where it’s seen the most trouble – and that includes New Brunswick, which has accounted for 23 per cent of all Bell copper wire thefts across the country, according to the company.

Rachel Jaskula, the manager of public affairs at Bell, says there’s been 165 copper wire thefts in the Fredericton region alone since January 2022.

In the news release, Bell said the new alarms resulted in an arrest of two suspects in Fredericton recently.

The release notes the aerial alarms successfully notified police of a cable cut on February 26.

Fredericton Police Force spokesperson Sonya Gilks said they were able to quickly dispatch officers to the scene, where two people were arrested, and charges are pending.

Jaskula said the aerial alarms have been “successful to date” but “more still needs to be done to prevent these crimes from happening,” reissuing the company’s call for the province and federal governments to help crack down on such thefts.