BT HAS announced a new weapon in the fight against North West cable thieves, just weeks after Elton fell victim to the crime.
Villagers were left without phone lines or internet access for a week after thieves made off with underground cabling in Chester Road, Helsby.
Now BT has launched RABIT, a burglar alarm technology that can act within minutes and detect when a cable has been cut or damaged, accurately pinpointing the incident.
The system alerts BT’s security control centre and police response teams.
A trial of the technology has already forced cable thieves to flee crime scenes empty-handed.
BT’s North West regional director, Mike Blackburn, said: “BT’s new burglar alarm on the network will make thieves think again.
“We are now able to inform the police of the exact location of malicious network attacks and, if trials are anything to go by, it won’t be long before they start catching the thieves in the act.”
