B.C. today became the first province to have a law and regulations aimed at reducing metal theft.
Sellers of regulated metals will now have to present valid identification. In turn, scrap dealers and recyclers who buy these metals must share purchase details with police so officers can compare the sales data with reports of stolen metal and seek court orders to obtain further information from dealers when required.
In May, Victoria wrote to municipal governments that have metal-theft-related bylaws to ensure that the bylaws did not conflict with the new province-wide one.
The new law targets metal types and objects that thieves tend to target, such as copper telephone wire and manhole covers.
"Our approach will ensure metal thieves don't profit from their crimes, while minimizing the cost and administrative burden for the law-abiding workers in our scrap and recycling sector," Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond said when the bill was first introduced in 2011.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)