METER THIEVES SWITCHED OFF

A WESTERN Power task force has nabbed 150 electricity thieves and
saved taxpayers about $5 million in two years.

The company's chief inspector Tony Mancini said a revenue protection
group used surveillance techniques to trap residents who were stealing
power.

The team monitored sudden surges in power usage, followed police leads
and public tip-offs on suspected drug dealers using lamps to grow
marijuana hydroponically in ceilings, cupboards and basements.

About half the offenders were involved in drugs.

Meter readers were trained to spot telltale signs of tampering, such
as tiny holes drilled in meters.

This method helps prevent the detection of overuse of
electricity.

This week Western Power helped police with a Herne Hill cannabis haul,
and a Fremantle drug raid on four houses and an underground bunker.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Ferguson said it was normal practice to ask
Western Power to help when meters had been bypassed because the
dismantling of hydroponic units and electrical wiring could be dangerous.

There had been 27 operations of this type since the task force was
launched in October 1997.

In the past 2 years, the task force had uncovered 71 cases of
elaborate bypass wiring, Mr Mancini said.

It was not only illegal to tamper with meters but also dangerous,
Western Power warned.

The biggest bust on record involved a Perth home with 34 lamps
installed in the ceiling. Mr Mancini estimated this complicated
heating system used up $20,000 worth of power a year.

Since the task force was launched, 56 people had been convicted under
the Energy Corporation Powers Act. In 1997, the task force estimated
$1 million of electricity was stolen in WA annually.

Mr Mancini said his team had saved Western Power $5 million in stolen
power. Offenders convicted of meter circumventing face a $2000 fine or
six months' jail.