Eliminating metal theft - by design

Nothing, it seems, is sacrosanct. Signal cabling, manhole covers, road signs and, shamefully, even war memorials are amongst the growing list of items which are targeted with increasing frequency for their scrap metal value. The consequences of these misdeeds manifest themselves in a variety of unpleasant ways, whether in the inconvenience and irritation of delayed and cancelled trains, the potential danger resulting from missing signs and manholes, or the shear grief of discovering that a memorial to a loved one has been melted down for its scrap value. Two of the key reasons often cited for the current upsurge of such offences are an increase in commodity prices and the simultaneous downturn in the economy. Given that neither of these conditions look likely to change significantly in the foreseeable future, is there anything that can be done to counter the problem? At Greenbarnes we believe that there is. Indeed, there are things that can be done, and in fact, things that we have already been doing for a considerable time to ensure that a wide variety of products intended for use in the public domain, perform their intended function without attracting the wrong form of attention. It all starts at the design stage, with the intelligent choice of materials. A prime example of this is memorial plaques, whether in large schemes as installed at a crematorium or, as in a recent example that came to our attention, a single war memorial built into the church gate post. As long ago as 1997, in response to the removal by thieves of approximately 300 individual metal plaques in one night, Greenbarnes embarked on designing a better way forward. Subsequently adopted by a number of crematoria throughout the UK, this scheme uses solid surfacing materials (of the type frequently used to create high quality kitchen worktops and retail counters), in place of traditional bronze or brass plaques. The virtue of this material lies in its unlikely combination of a top quality appearance with a zero scrap value. In addition to addressing the problem of theft, careful design consideration at the outset also ensured that the perennial problems of fixing and removing from walls and the consequent difficulties of acurate alignment were addressed. Moreover, for applications such as churches needing a way to commemorate cremated remains, a scheme can be economically tailored to fit individual requirements. So, whether you are considering a memorial scheme or a single commemorative plaque, your starting point should be to ring our sales team on 01280 701093 or email our Sales Department for sound advice and no-obligation quotations.

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