The problem that would be generated by the increase in the theft of copper cables in Bogotá

He theft of copper cables has become one of the recent scourges that has caused the most headaches for the authorities and citizens in Bogota.

And it’s no wonder, well multiple criminal groups that operate in the country’s capital have dedicated themselves to cutting off the networks that connect the city with the internet service, even leaving entire towns without this service for up to 24 hours.

In the most recent event, the Bogotá Metropolitan Police captured five people who, allegedly, stole 300 meters of copper cable with which more than 1,200 telephone lines and 400 families connected to the internet in the neighborhoods of San Cristobal and Toberinin the north of Bogotá.

Although they were caught in flagrante delicto, even using uniforms of the Telecommunications Company of Bogotá (ETB)a guarantee control judge released them this week considering that this alleged conduct committed was a “minor offence“.

This, precisely, may be the conception that exists about the importance given to the theft of copper wiring in the city, something that the telecommunications companies that operate in the city, such as the ETB itself, as well as Movistar, Clear and Tigo.

“Each of these criminal cells that steal our infrastructure not only affects us as a telco but defrauds the essential connectivity service of homes, companies, MSMEs and businesses, schools, hospitals and citizen security. The times of justice must accompany us so as not to leave the people of Bogota alone“, he claimed Alex Blanco, president of ETB.

According to data collected by EL TIEMPO, Only in the first quarter of this current year, there had been 42 events of cable theft reported by one of the companies providing this service.. This vandalization of telecommunications furniture left 695 customers without connection and represented economic losses for the company, which exceeded 1,632 million pesos.

Regarding the data delivered by Movistar in 2023, The reported robberies reached 818 and the homes, companies, public and private entities of all sectors of the economy that were affected were 16,654thus generating million-dollar losses of more than 9,361 million pesos.

Andrés Nieto, former Undersecretary of Security of Bogotá and who was in charge of coordinating the work tables with the heads of companies such as Claro, ETB, Movistar and Tigo, pointed out that this phenomenon had a growth of 152% in 2023 and that in the city there are at least 17 identified gangs that are dedicated to copper theft.

According to your data, In 2023, reports of 2,400 events were officially received throughout the city (the companies claim that there were more than 4,000) and all internet operators, which led to 50 operations being carried out with a result of 410 arrests of individuals for the crime of reception. 83 scrapyards were also raided, of which 10 were closed because they were involved in the copper marketing business.

According to official information from the authorities, the areas most affected by this problem in the capital of the Republic are: San Cristóbal, Kennedy, Bosa, Puente Aranda, Suba, Teusaquillo, Chapinero, Soacha and the Western Sabana.

The first aspect to consider to untangle the legal problem that surrounds this crime is that there are several avenues of maneuver, both for complainants and for criminals.

EL TIEMPO contacted the security leaders of three of the main telecommunications companies in Bogotá: ETB, Movistar and Claro and they all agreed that it is a phenomenon that is out of control. And despite the fact that they have withdrawn the copper wiring to be replaced by fiber optic lines, it has still not been possible to stop the advance of the criminals, because “They enter the bedrooms and cut everything they see, after cutting it they realize that it is not copper, but fiber optics, and that material is worth nothing in the market”.

As a first measure, as Nieto explained, This crime is classified as ‘theft of public furniture’, which, in the eyes of the law, is classified as simple theft. This is where the first problem arises, since the effect that said theft can have on communities is excluded from the legal assessment.

For its part, Oscar Manuel Trujillo, criminal expert and criminal investigator at the Manuela Beltrán Universityindicated that in order to analyze what is happening with this crime and the laxity of the judges in these cases, it is necessary to take into account the value of the stolen property, which can be a “minor amount”.

“The penalty for theft ranges between 38 and 48 months, which implies that if it falls within the first quarter of these two amounts of months, the person can opt for the criminal benefit in which the execution of the sentence is suspended through the freedom that is granted. granted when the crime is less than four years”explained Trujillo.

Another scenario posed by the criminal expert is that if the judge analyzes the case under the precepts the Article 55 of the Penal Code Regarding the circumstances of lesser punishment, there would also be benefits for criminals. “This article says that due to marginal conditions of the accused person, a kind of mitigating circumstance is made in the judgment that is made regarding the individualization of the sentence.“, I note.

Although this is one of the paths offered by the legal system, the truth is that there must be a complaint from the owner of the damaged wiring, that is, the telecommunications companies. After this alert to the authorities, An investigation must be initiated by the Police in the company of a specialized expert who can certify, first, that the cable actually belongs to the complaining company and, second, that the stolen furniture contains copper, this being the primary reason for its theft..

“What we have to try to do here is find a legal connection between who steals copper, the impact on the public service that this generates and the legalization of this material for export in a city like Bogotá that does not have mining licenses or scrap yards or companies. with permits to export the mineral“explained the expert.

However, the question that arises from this scenario and that experts classify as the ‘missing link’ in the chain is how is stolen copper legalized so that it can later be exported? The chain is as follows: the criminal steals the copper cables, then sells them in warehouses or scrap yards, these in turn melt them and deliver them to the companies in charge of exporting them, but it is not clear how between the melting and the export the material is legalized.

This complicated panorama, added to the need for evolution in the provision of connectivity services in large cities, has led telecommunications companies to withdraw their copper networks and change them to fiber optic cabling, in accordance with international standards..

However, these strategies have not diminished the problem, since criminals continue to cut the cables at random, hoping that one contains copper and the result of this is disconnection and impact for the clients of the telecommunications companies.

BRIEFCASE
*With information from EL TIEMPO – BOGOTÁ