Sniffer dogs help track down railway metal thieves

The dogs can detect the scent of the special solution and lead police to stolen supplies

Sniffer dogs are helping with a crackdown on metal thieves causing major delays to rail services in parts of northern England.

Network Rail has brought in the canine recruits to track down criminals who steal cables and other materials to sell on the black market.

Railway property is being sprayed with a DNA solution with a scent the dogs provided by Search Dogs UK can detect.

Organised crime gangs take the metal due to its high value.

Figures released by Network Rail show there have been 31 serious metal thefts on rail routes in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria since 2017.

The incidents include significant damage to the signalling system on the West Coast line near Crewe in 2020.

Bosses believe the thefts have resulted in the equivalent of 21 days of train delays, costing the taxpayer about £1.3m.

The thefts in the North West of England have cost the taxpayer £1.3m in the last five years

The dogs can detect the special scent and lead police directly to stolen metal illegally on sale at scrap metal dealers.

Network Rail's Andrea Graham said. "Metal theft continues to cause huge problems for passengers and freight customers at a very significant cost to our business which is funded by the taxpayer.

"We're always looking at new ways to crack down on criminals and now we have man's best friend on the case, too."

Supt Mark Cleland, of British Transport Police, said: "We're working with partners and the metals recycling industry to target those who we suspect of flouting the law or operating outside of their licence.

"By taking a multi-agency approach, we are maximising our ability to identify those attacking our national infrastructure, making it harder for them to sell stolen metal and gain from their activities."

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