In the first half of 2004, there were 43 thefts of electric cables from AO MOSENERGO’s facilities and 36 criminal cases were initiated. The damage to the company including the cost of repair exceeded 720,000 rubles.

In total, almost 40 km of aluminum and copper cables were stolen from electric lines. The worst situation was observed in Podolsk, Mozhaisk, Ruza, as well as Kashira and Stupino districts. Cable thefts affected 18 towns and villages in the Moscow region.

AO MOSENERGO is deeply concerned about cable thefts. In conjunction with law enforcement agencies and private detectives the company works to find illegal shops of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and set up ambushes in locations of most frequent thefts. Pro-active measures play the main role in prevention of electric equipment thefts. Representatives of AO MOSENERGO regularly inform the population of the consequences of theft and urge people to report the thefts and cases of illegal sales to law enforcement agencies.

As a result of these countermeasures, this year AO MOSENERGO managed to reduce the number of thefts. Compared to a similar period last year, the monetary amount of damage has decreased by 405,000 rubles. At the same time, in 2004, attempts to access AO MOSENERGO’s facilities led to two tragic incidents for those who tried to make money on non-ferrous metal thefts.