There is always room for improvement in security and even more so when an event, in this case the theft of copper from a railway infrastructure, has consequences that affect thousands of people. Aside from the bitter political dispute between administrations, this Tuesday the Mossos d’Esquadra held an emergency meeting to analyze the problem and take measures. To begin with, they raise the ‘Metall’ Specific Operational Plan (SOP) to the maximum, as La Vanguardia has learned.
The meeting at the Egara police complex, in Sabadell, was chaired by Chief Commissioner Eduard Sallent with the presence of Commissioners Rosa Bosch, David Boneta, Rafel Comes, Marta Fernández, Ramón Chacón and Ferran López. They analyzed the figures for this first half of the year and confirmed the uptick in copper thefts, but also the increase in arrests after several investigations into some groups of multi-repeat thieves to whom they have been able to attribute around twenty incidents.
In fact, a few days before the event in Montcada i Reixac, the Mossos arrested eight members of a group of multi-repeat thieves whose settings included railway infrastructure. The next day they were all released and since the weekend they were once again in the crosshairs of the investigators of Sunday’s incident.
An event that, today, for the Mossos is just another copper theft, with very serious effects, but without an intention that the Ministry of Transport doubts. Neither the scientific police at three points of the incident, nor the Information Mossos have found a single clue that points to the hypothesis of sabotage.
The increase to the maximum level of the ‘Metall’ operation practically implies more hours of patrolling in railway infrastructure, as well as redoubling the inspections that are carried out periodically in the waste management centers, which is where all the stolen copper ends up. Regarding the investigations of the robberies, the incidents will continue in the corresponding units of each territory, but the Criminal Investigation Division will now carry out supervision of all open cases.
The police also agreed to knock again on the door of the Prosecutor’s Office to address the problem and seek complicity in those multi-repeat criminals with dozens of arrests for copper theft. With this information it is much better understood: 72% of the 186 people arrested by the Mossos last year for copper theft had a record of similar crimes.
While the police leadership meeting was taking place, representatives of the railway infrastructure administrator (Adif) approached the Cerdanyola courts to file a complaint about Sunday’s incident that, barring surprise, the Mossos d’Esquadra will continue to investigate.
