NEW technology has been developed to tackle metal theft in Cambridgeshire.

British Telecom has revealed its RABit system (Rapid Assessment BT Incident Tracker) which alerts the police, and the phone company, if a live cable has been cut or damaged.

The system can pinpoint the location so officers can be sent to the correct area quickly.

Detective Inspector Sharon Dence said: “This new technology could prove invaluable as it alerts us to a crime in progress and can give us a precise location.

“Cable is often stolen from vulnerable locations and can have a huge impact on people living nearby. This will give us an advantage and increase the likelihood of us catching thieves in the act.”

The technology will help Operation Magnet, which sees Cambridgeshire police work with BT and other agencies, to find metal thieves and deter offending.

Officers have been asking dealers to sign up to Operation Tornado, a national scheme for responsible scrap dealers. So far 17 out of 27 in Cambridgeshire have signed up.

DI Dence added: “We would appeal for people to be vigilant and report anything they think is suspicious or out of the ordinary, particularly at night in isolated locations and around manhole covers or telegraph poles.”

INFORMATION: Anyone with information about metal theft should call police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111. If a crime is in progress, call 999.