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Thieves Pull Plug On DES
By M K Anwar

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Department of Electrical Services (DES) is facing an uphill battle against the unorthodox but well-organised thieves bent on causing disruptions and mischief to DES facilities in the country.

The Head of Transmission and Distribution Section, Awg Hj Nokman bin Hj Tengah, told the Bulletin yesterday that thieves have carted away earthing cables, feeder pillars and even aluminium doors of small substations that has resulted in disruptions in the operational maintenance carried out by DES workers.

These thefts have cost DES more than $60,000. Basically, anything that can be sold as scrap metal is being stolen from substations, said Hj Nokman. According to DES, more than 60 substations in Brunei-Muara District alone have. been vandalised and stripped bare by thieves since July this year.

The damages to these substations have also caused disruptions in maintenance schedules:

Recounting previous cases, the Head of Transmission and Distribution Section said that there have been occasions when substations were vandalised only a few days after all the stolen items were replaced and damaged ones rectified.

"It has become a cat and mouse game," said Hj Nokman. The quicker the DES workers are in fixing things, the more quicker the thieves have been in laying their hands on items inside substations, he added.

A lot of time and government money have been wasted trying to replace the stolen items. Electrical outages have occurred in some areas due to the thefts. All these have added to the woes of the public who face power cuts when repairs to the affected substations are carried out, he said.

Furthermore, missing doors at substations also pose dangers to children in residential areas as they could come into contact with live wires.

Made mostly from aluminium or copper, cables and other electrical equipment have been the target of many unscrupulous thieves. Indications are that these thieves are becoming more and more organised and better equipped.

Despite working closely with the police to monitor substations and other DES facilities, many thieves have still managed to evade from being detected.

Previously, thieves were believed to strike in the middle of the night, cutting away cables and driving off with the - loot but now the modus operandi seems to have changed.

One will be responsible in tearing apart a substation while another person steals all the metal items. Thieves have been found operating during working hours too.

There have also been incidents where some thieves have pretended to be DES workers when confronted by members of the public suspicious of their activities.

The DES said there has been some success in prosecuting some thieves thanks partly due to cooperation from the public. So far 25 theft cases involving 25 substations have already been brought to court.

Hj Nokman sought assistance from the public in reporting suspicious activities at electrical substations or facilities by calling the DES hotline 144 or the police.

Currently, the DES is working on a system that will help the public in identifying its workers at its facilities.

Scrap metal buyers have also been advised not to accept scrap items without running a proper check as they might have been stolen from DES facilities.

Those found stealing can be charged under the Section 380 and Section 379 of the Penal Code, which carry a jail sentence and caning. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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