Brazen thief 'risks serious harm' sawing cables at electric vehicle charging station 'worth £15 or less'
CCTV footage has caught the shocking moment a daring thief sawed through the cables of an electric vehicle charging port before stealing the wires.
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The shocking CCTV footage was released as part of an appeal by electric vehicle (EV) charging network group Be.EV, who's machine at Gallagher Retail Park, Wednesbury, was vandalised just after 8.20pm on March 12.
The footage shows the thief walking onto the Be.EV charging bay, near the Decathlon, before haphazardly sawing through the cables, and then dragging them out of sight of the cameras.
At one point while vandalising the machine, the man looks up at the camera, before looking around to make sure no one is watching.
Since the theft took place, Be.EV has placed around 50 'wanted' posters in the area in a bid to catch the thief.
The posters show a screenshot of the man's face, with the words "Do you know this man?"
The description on the poster also reads: 'This thug's stupidity in stealing copper cables worth £15 each or less, means drivers can't charge their EVs and his actions risked serious harm by electrocution.'
'Massive issue'
The group said that EV charging theft is an increasingly 'massive issue' for the industry, costing 'upwards of £1m' a year.
Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV said: "Whilst the cables are only worth a few pounds in scrap they will cost thousands to replace and inconvenience families wanting to charge at the site.
"We have produced some 'wanted' posters to see if we can help identify the person in the footage and have put 40-50 of these posters up in the surrounding area."
The group added that they have been working with policing teams to tackle EV charging thefts, calling on organisations to come together to stop further crimes.
Mr Ghafoor added: "EV charging theft is a massive issue costing the industry upwards of £1m, which is why Be.EV has done this.
"Unfortunately whilst the impact to drivers and us is great, this needs co-ordination with police, EV CPOs and scrap yards to bring this to an end"
Information about the theft can be given to West Midlands Police via the Live Chat service on their website, or alternatively by calling their 101 number.
West Midlands Police have been approached for comment.
