(Toronto) Wishing to protect against copper theft, Bell recently began installing overhead alarms to protect its infrastructure.
In a statement released Wednesday, the telecommunications giant explained that these alarms are designed to alert law enforcement “as soon as an incident is detected,” so that they can respond quickly, “ideally by catching vandals on the spot.” the fact “.
One of these alarms already had the desired effect in February in Fredericton, New Brunswick, when it went off to signal a cable cut.
According to Bell, officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to the scene and arrested two suspects. Charges, which are still “in the process of being finalized,” are expected to be laid.
Since January 2022, Bell says it has compiled nearly 1,000 incidents relating to the physical security of its network, and 87% of these situations are linked to copper theft.
“Each incident takes on average 10 to 12 hours to repair and during this time, customers may not have access to the internet, television and their home phone, impacting their ability to contact emergency services.” , denounced Bell in his press release.
To deter copper thieves, Bell also asks the federal and provincial governments to “contribute to the protection of critical infrastructure” by increasing the amount of fines imposed on people who commit acts of vandalism.
“Improving security protocols is only part of the solution,” the company argued.
“It is imperative that the government and law enforcement authorities take timely and decisive action to strengthen laws, increase fines and make amendments to the Penal Code to reflect the essential nature of these infrastructures for the security of the country. »
Company in this report: (TSX: BCE)