Oh, Scrap!

Vandals costing Jamaica millions

Howard Campbell,  Gleaner Writer

Vandals, believed to be involved in the illegal scrap-metal trade, continue to plunder government ferrous throughout the country, with Kingston and St Andrew being the most affected areas.

Stephen Shaw, head of communications at the National Works Agency (NWA), told Automotives that thieves have targeted aluminum bridge rails, manhole covers and guard rails throughout the Corporate Area.

Among the bridges stripped of it rails is the one located along Washington Boulevard in the vicinity of Patrick City.

Though Kingston and St Andrew account for most of the incidents, Shaw said other commercial locations such as Spanish Town in St. Catherine; May Pen, Clarendon and parts of St Elizabeth, have suffered.

"We have had - and continue to have - problems in Kingston and St Andrew. There's reason to believe it's because of the (scrap metal) trade," Shaw said.

Shaw could not say if any arrests have been made in connection with the thefts, but noted that it has burdened the budget of the NWA, an agency affiliated with the ministry of transport and works.

"Every time you have to replace parts that have been stolen, other projects have to be put on hold. It's not like we have unlimited resources," Shaw said.

Shaw said the NWA has discussed the rise in vandalism with officials from the ministry of industry and commerce, but did not give details of those talks and the action to be taken to alleviate the losses.

On Thursday, Minister of industry and commerce Karl Samuda told Automotives that the scrap-metal industry

will be addressed during his contribution to the sectoral debate later this month.

Samuda has come down hard on the scrap-metal industry, which he says is rife with criminality.

He halted scrap-metal exports in April last year after two major heists in St Catherine.

Police reported that thieves pillaged agricultural equipment valued at $5 million from the Colbeck irrigation pumping station.

The other incident took place at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, where metal used to construct the facility's stands were also stolen. That heist was estimated at $1 million.

Last week, The Gleaner reported that rails used by trains from the Windalco bauxite company to transport raw material and alumina, have been stolen.

Thriving sector

According to statistics from the ministry of industry and commerce, the scrap-metal sector is a thriving one, having pulled in a hefty $100 million in 2009. It has spawned a lucrative black market spin-off that police say has grown significantly in the last five years.

May Pen mayor Milton Brown acknowledged that Clarendon is plagued by scrap-metal thieves, especially in York Town and Breadnut Valley where unused train lines have been removed in recent months.

Sandy Bay, located on the outskirts of Clarendon, was once a boom market for scrap-metal dealers in Jamaica. It was home to a centre where discarded metal was collected for export.

Like Shaw, Mayor Brown was unable to say if anyone has been arrested by the police for stealing scrap metal.

There have been arrests in St Elizabeth where police say the trade is growing. Commander Jonathan Boyd, who heads the Island Special Constabulary Force in that parish, said four persons were arrested and charged there last month.

According to Boyd, much of the trading in St Elizabeth takes place in the district of Park, located in the central region. He said his team was currently monitoring two districts to the north, but declined to identify them.