Thieves Now Stealing Traffic Control Boxes
Thieves have become bored with the usual thefts so they now have turned to stealing traffic light controls. The control boxes are real gold mine for the thieves because of the high content of copper and aluminum.

The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transporte (MOPT) reports that this week alone were forced to replace five - yes, five - control boxes at various intersections in San José.

Traffic in the areas of Hatillo, Barrio Cuba and in the downtown core were affected by the thefts, as without the control boxes, the traffic lights will not function.

According to Mario Chavarría, a director of engineering at the MOPT, each control box costs us$3.000 to replace.

The thefts were duly reported to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) who has promised to keep an eye out for the control boxes, in addition to curbing the theft of electrical cable and electrical meters tht has been cause for alarm in some areas when they are left in the dark.

The OIJ says it is after an organized gang that has a resale market in Nicaragua for the meters, cables and control boxes. In addition, the OIJ has already denounced three salvage yards where they found to buy stolen metal. Article 323 of the Código Penal (Penal Code) calls for a prison term from six months to three years for any person who is is posession of stolen goods even though they did not participate in the original crime.

Chavarría is also asking citizens to keep an eye out for vandals and thieves of traffic control boxes and to report them to the police immediately. The MOPT official is not only concerned for the cost to replace the control boxes but also for the traffic chaos that a non-working traffic light can create, not to mention possible fatal accidents.