Estevan’s Power Tech Industries recently became the target of a copper theft, underscoring concerns about rising rural crime in southeast Saskatchewan. According to company President Scott Schoff, thieves struck in the middle of the night, taking advantage of a vulnerable yard.
“The first one of my employees usually unlocks the gate every morning,” Schoff said. “But when he arrived, the gate was actually already open, and nothing was noticed at that time.”
Later, the company discovered a lock had been cut and copper stolen. Video footage showed a truck with four men returning in the early hours to remove several rolls and hand coils of cable. Schoff explained, “They went straight to the back corner where the copper was, backed up their truck, and loaded up 3 or 4 rolls of cable and a bunch of hand coils of cable. They were in the yard for about 6 minutes, and then they left.”
The stolen copper is valued between $8,000 and $10,000, a smaller haul than previous incidents but still significant. Schoff noted, “Just because of how things have been with the industry being a lot slower, we don’t keep as much in the yard. But 8 to 10,000 is still significant.”
This incident is not isolated. Schoff says thefts and break-ins are increasing in the region: “It’s a problem in Estevan and southeast Saskatchewan right now… a lot of transients around, people coming through town who normally aren’t here.”
The company has contacted the police and is providing video evidence to assist in tracking down the suspects. “We have pretty good video footage of the vehicle, looks like they had the license plate ripped right off the vehicle at the time, keep your doors locked because there’s a lot of stuff going on,” Schoff said.
Local businesses are calling for increased security measures and a stronger police presence as rural crime continues to rise.