£5,000 reward for information over cable theft (From Borehamwood Times)

£5,000 reward offered after cable thieves cause Hertfordshire’s police control centre power cut

3:30pm Monday 13th February 2012 in News By Mike Wright

A £5,000 reward has been offered in the hunt for scrap metal thieves who caused a power cut at Hertfordshire’s police control centre last week.

The damage caused to copper cables led to phone and internet disruption at police HQ in Welwyn Garden City, on the evening of Thursday, February 9.

Officers at Hertforshire Constabulary said they were forced to switch to back-up systems and although it is not thought any 999 calls were missed, they admitted the disruption could have put lives at risk.

David Lloyd, chairman of Hertfordshire Police Authority which oversees the force, praised the swift action of the officers in the control centre.

He said: "We have taken this exceptional step of offering a reward to highlight this is a very serious crime.

"While the value of the scrap metal may be low, the impact on residents and businesses is enormous.

"Criminals who believe they can get away with this type of crime need to know we will make every effort to bring them to justice.

"I urge anyone with information about this crime to bring it to the police to help stop this despicable crime being repeated across the county."

The attempted metal theft is thought to have happened in the Hatfield area.