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Cable Theft Continues
Power outages used to be a
result of the state power
company - the Instituto
Costarricense de Electricidad
(ICE) - failure to provide
proper service. However,
recently, power outages are due
a completely different type of
problem: stolen cables.
Police have their job cut out
for them as thieves, with each
passing day, get more daring and
bolder in stealing electrical
cables in and around San José.
Some thieves have suffered
severe burns and injuries,
including death by
electrocution, by touching the
wrong cable.
The Fuerza Pública (police) say
that in the Área Metropolitana
(downtown San José), thieves
have made off with 123 metres or
30 kilos of cable this year
alone.
The cable is sold to scrap metal
companies that pay up to ¢3.000
colones (us$5.75) per kilo of
copper contained in the stolen
cable.
Aluminum is another metal that
is contained in some cables and
has been a target by thieves as
well, a problem that has caused
headaches for the authorities as
the act has caused a number of
power failures and including
affected traffic signals.
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