Lights out from copper theft

Copper thieves leave community in the dark

By Sonia Isaacs

THIEVES have targeted lighting infrastructure owned by Transport and Main Roads (TMR) around a busy school zone intersection in Beerwah, sparking safety concerns among residents.
Over a dozen street lights at the intersection of Peachester Road and Old Gympie Road near Beerwah State school remain out of action, following the alleged theft of copper cabling last month.
When approached by GC&M News, a TMR spokesperson confirmed there have been 25 incidents of cable theft in the Glasshouse area since 2022.
“TMR is continuing to explore various avenues to deter and prevent further vandalism and theft to electrical infrastructure across the state, including investigating new technologies to improve monitoring and security,” The spokesperson stated,
“TMR will reconnect the street lighting once these measures can be safely implemented.
“Additionally, TMR is engaging with the Queensland Police Service to further assist with resolving this ongoing issue.”
A QPS spokesperson confirmed copper cabling had been reported stolen.
“Police received reports of a quantity of cooper cables stolen from public infrastructure on Roys Road and Roberts Road, Beerwah on Tuesday, June 18,” QPS said.
“Anyone with information or relevant footage is asked to contact police.”
Local resident and bus driver, Judy Tomlinson, expressed her concern that the street lights had been out for over five weeks, making visibility problematic.
“This is a busy intersection, and without street lighting early mornings and at night you can’t easily see people if they are crossing the road,” she said.
“It’s a shame this type of behavior not only costs tax payers money but could lead to a serious accident.”
In 2023, TMR participated in the Parliamentary Inquiry to examine the issue of copper and other scrap metal theft. The Government’s response was provided to the Parliamentary Committee in May 2024.
The Government’s response was provided to the Parliamentary Committee in May 2024.

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