Petition Copper Thefts - act of terrorism

The theft of copper from National Grid and/or other Electrical Distribution Networks and/or the theft of copper wiring for Railway Signalling should be classified as an act of terrorism and the associated punishments levied on those convicted of said crimes.

Handling the materials, or preparing to commit such an offence should be treated as acts preparatory to an act of terrorism and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism.

The theft of copper leads to massive disruption to the UK economy, it disrupts the transport network in the manner of an act of terrorism. The reinstatement of power can cause damage to peoples homes and electrical goods which is not necessarily covered by insurance, and that damage is as damaging as any other act of terror as the incidents are not isolated but tend to happen across the area served by the affected sub-station(s).