Just days after the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) reported an uptick in copper theft activity, a leading businessman is again urging the government to implement a ban on copper exports as theft continues to plague many businesses around the country.
While Rupert Roberts, the owner of the Super Value food store chain, admitted in an interview with Guardian Business yesterday that it has been months since his business was lasted affected by copper theft, he believes that given time, "it will start up again".
"For now, the problem has subsided, but drastic measures still have to be taken so let's stop the pretense. Put a ban on it so it won't come back," he said.
"It's hitting the business market so hard, especially food stores, BTC and the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) because they are all operations that have a lot of copper on their properties."
Back in March, businesses and government agencies reported major losses as a result of rampant copper theft.
Super Value alone had lost approximately $1 million over the last five years. BTC, BEC and ZNS have also had equipment stolen made of or containing copper. At the time, Roberts said copper theft over time has become a significant cost to both merchants and consumers, similar to payroll or rent.
In a release sent out on Tuesday, BTC confirmed that a number of its facilities across the country have experienced an uptick in copper theft activity that has resulted in immediate disruption of phone and data services and huge financial losses.
Kenyon Basden, BTC's technical manager for New Providence, said that in just the last two weeks, three substantial thefts occurred.
"Thieves attacked at South Ocean Boulevard on November 16, JFK on November 27th and Roberts Boulevard, Coral Harbour on November 29. In all cases valuable and expensive 300-pair copper aerial cable was stolen, immediately disrupting service to hundreds of customers in the surrounding areas," he said.
This comes as Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage said the government has drafted a bill that would govern all metal-based businesses including copper as well as cash-for-gold businesses.
Outside of the House of Assembly, he told reporters that he hoped to bring some resolution to the issue soon.
In June, Nottage had said that of the 506 armed robberies committed between January 1 and June 11, 2013, 299 or 55 percent of them involved copper or jewelry theft.

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