Chatham-Kent council is getting ready to give a current bylaw more teeth to prevent the theft of copper and other metals across the municipality.
Councillors will discuss changing the bylaw to buy and sell scrap metals at their meeting in Tilbury Monday night. A report going before council states that stealing copper and other metals causes significant safety risks and costs and there is a need to reduce or eliminate the number of thefts. A Notice of Motion at the May 13, 2019 council meeting stated that copper and other metals are commonly stolen across the community by drug addicts and sold to support their habit.
Under the new proposed bylaw, a person selling, exchanging, or disposing scrap metal at salvage yards must provide government photo identification and must be 18 or older. Item taken in by salvage yards must also be registered, photographed and kept untouched for at least three days before they can be sold to allow police to ensure they are not stolen. Salvage yards may also undergo a police clearance check, if necessary before a licence is issued to make sure licensees have not been convicted of any thefts, or break and enters in the past ten years. And finally, items that are believed to be stolen must be reported to police immediately.