Incidents of thefts of copper and other cable from sites have gone up so much that more than 400 people alone have been arrested across the UK for stealing from British Telecom’s (BT) network in the past year. BT's security unit has had to set up a nationwide intelligence-led task force whose strategy includes attending crime scenes, liaising closely with police and visiting scrap metal dealers. Both Virgin and BT have reported thousands of pounds worth of damage.