The City of London is reminding salvage yard operators of regulations under the Business Licensing By-Law as theft of valuable metals such as copper and palladium (found in catalytic converters) continues to be an issue.
One of the common motivators of this crime is the ease of which the stolen product can be sold to salvage yards for quick cash. Salvage yards are licensed by the City of London and must adhere to a number of regulations which include verifying the identification of the seller and maintaining a log of products or goods purchased. These regulations are in place to aid in crime suppression.
The City of London Municipal Law Enforcement Services completed an enforcement project in January focusing on by-law regulation compliance in salvage yards. As a result, five salvage yards were charged with the following infractions: accepting scrap metal without verifying identification, failure to keep transaction records, and operating without a Business Licence.
“By-law regulations are in place for a reason, we need to address this criminal activity from a variety of fronts including eliminating the opportunity for a quick cash sale,” says Orest Katolyk, Chief Municipal Law Enforcement Officer.
“The London Police Service sees periodic increases in reports of metal theft, particularly of catalytic converters,” said Staff Sergeant Alex Krygsman, head of the London Police Service Community Policing Section. “The verification of identity and keeping of transaction records by businesses when someone is selling these types of goods is an important deterrent; if criminals can’t make money from a stolen item, they are much less likely to steal it.”
The City and London Police Service continue to work collaboratively on innovative ideas from an evidence based perspective to address the issue of theft of valuable metal.
Salvage yard operators or business owners with questions about the Business License By-law can visit the Service London Business Hub in the main lobby of City Hall, attend the Licensing counter on the 7th floor, call the Licensing office at 519-930-3515 or email licensing@london.ca.