Telus sounds alarm after unusual spike in copper cable thefts in Kamloops
Michael Potestio – Nov 2, 2025 / 4:00 am | Kamloops News
A telecommunications company is reporting a significant surge in copper cable thefts in the Kamloops area.
According to Telus, eight copper wire thefts have been recorded in Kamloops this year — two from underground locations and six instances of copper stripped from area bridges. Almost all the thefts came in the last two months.
About half of their copper thefts in B.C. since September have been in Kamloops and the incidents primarily see the targeting of traditional copper lines, disrupting wireline voice services, internet and Optik TV.
By comparison, Telus recorded zero copper wire thefts in the Kamloops area last year, and recorded none in 2022 and 2023 as well. In 2021, it had four such thefts during the calendar year.
In 2024, Telus’ most targeted areas in B.C. were Mission, Surrey, Chilliwack and Abbotsford.
Underground thefts typically involve thieves entering manholes, some of which are welded shut, to cut copper cables. Bridge accessed thefts usually involve thieves going under bridges to pull concealed wire down from one end to the other.
While Telus is seeing an uncharacteristic rise in copper cable thefts in Kamloops now, it’s a trend across the country.
According to the company, copper cable thefts from their corporation across Canada are up 56 per cent from January to September compared to the same time last year.
Thieves going to great lengths
Telus vice-president of network engineering and operations, Anne Martin, told Castanet Kamloops when thieves cut these lines, they can have a massive impact on residents.
“The increase has been pretty significant, and the more knowledge there is about what’s going on in the community, the better off the community is going to be,” Martin said. “We’re very concerned about the impacts.”
Martin said copper wire thefts can lead to people being unable to use landlines to call emergency services or check on loved ones. She said the thefts can also affect critical services like hospitals and police stations.
“The copper that they’re stealing, really prevents a lot of our more vulnerable customers from being able to access services that they need,” Martin said.
She said the company has also seen cable thieves going to greater lengths than ever to steal copper.
“They are literally scaling bridges, going into manholes, breaking into pedestals to try to steal as much of this copper as possible,” Martin said. “We’ve seen them pretending to be legit workers with hard hats and high-vis clothing, and we’ve seen pretty extensive efforts on their part to rip as much of this cable out as possible.”
Martin said thieves likely target copper as the metal has become an increasingly more valuable commodity over the the last year.
According to October articles in Bloomberg News and mining.com, copper prices have surged by more than 20 per cent in 2025.
Crime prevention
According to Telus, the damage done by these thefts is often extensive, leading to lengthy repairs.
Martin said it’s important to make the public aware of these thefts, and asks that they be their “eyes and ears” and call the police if they see suspicious activity.
“On our part, we do a lot of installation of alarms, reinforcing a lot of the infrastructure, putting up fencing, security cameras,” Martin said.
The company is also working to further fortify its security measures to prevent these thefts, including welding manholes shut, installing alarms, installing specialized fencing and security cameras, reinforcing infrastructure and prioritizing fibre migration to reduce reliance on copper.
Martin said the spike in criminal activity underscores an urgent need for stricter penalties, tighter regulations, increased vigilance and collaborative efforts between service providers, legislators, law enforcement and the public in order to stop these crimes from happening.
Telus said it’s actively working with police to investigate all these thefts and urges the public to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or the Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 if they see suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods.
Police say thefts are up
Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Dana Napier said police have noticed a “marginal increase” in copper wire and copper piping theft and attempted theft reports over the last six months this year compariedto last year.
“This is a common commodity that has been targeted at a multitude of different areas, such as construction sites, building supply warehouses/yards, scrap yards, vacant houses and work vehicles of trade workers — especially electricians,” she said via email.
Napier said police recommend using tamper proof fencing and the use of video surveillance and signage to as deterrents.
She said the use of security companies, keeping compounds well lit and ensuring shrubs and greenery do not provide concealment are other tips to utilize in preventing copper wire thefts.