OREANDA-NEWS. November 24, 2008. OJSC North-West Telecom in the territory of Arkhangelsk is starting   an information campaign Protect Your House aimed at preventing theft of and damage to the linear facilities of the Arkhangelsk branch of OJSC N.W.Telecom .

At the moment the number of cases of damage to city telecommunication networks, caused by illegal actions of theft of the communication cable containing non-ferrous metals, is increasing steadily. Starting from 2005, the number of cases of theft of the cable on the communication lines of the Arkhangelsk branch of OJSC N.W.Telecom has increased 2.5 times – from 115 in 2005 to 286 in 2007. For 9 months of 2008, 132 thefts were committed and 9841 metres of communication cable were stolen.  

The problem of theft of non-ferrous and ferrous metals is beyond the scope of just one Company, it is topical both for OJSC N.W. Telecom and for many infrastructure enterprise s of the city ensuring the necessary conditions for the vital activities of the citizens and the normal functioning of all branches of economy. A special meeting dedicated to this topic was held in the Mayor's Office of Arkhangelsk on 20th November 2008, in which representatives of OJSC N.W.Telecom , the branch of MRSK of North-West Arkhenergo, the Arkhangelsk Division of the Northern Railway – a branch of OAO RZD, as well as of the Board of Non-departmental Security at the Board of the Interior of Arkhangelsk Oblast took part.

In the course of the meeting, the main reasons for the thefts of telephone cable were discussed – the non- supervised access to basements of residential houses and non-regulated acceptance of non-ferrous metals from individuals by respective specialized organizations. The purpose of the info rmation campaign is to attract attention of the public and parties concerned to the existing problem, which must result in a reduced number of thefts of telephone cable in Arkhangelsk .

A number of preventive measures will be implemented within the framework of the information campaign. To organize efficient inter action with residents of Arkhangelsk in connection with the existing problem, a telephone number has been dedicated - 65-12-12, by dialing which people will be able to report any suspicious situations in respect of any theft of telephone cable. After each such warning, a detention group of the Non-departmental Security at the Board of the Interior of Arkhangelsk Oblast will go to the respective place.

Marina Sukhikh, Director of the Corporate Communications Department of OJSC N.W.Telecom , confirmed: 'Cooperation with people always bears tangible fruit. A similar info rmation campaign held in St. Petersburg in 2007-2008 gave some positive experience. The residents, local authorities and the law machinery were cooperating in solving the problem of cable theft. As a result, the number of the cases of theft of telephone cable and the inflicted damage were reduced several times as compared to the respective previous period.'

The participants of the meeting noted that the problems in question may be solved only in a comprehensive manner, with active participation of all organizations concerned: the infrastructure enterprise s of the city, the Administration of Arkhangelsk Oblast, and the Board of the Interior as the department whose responsibilities include resisting criminal offence. The meeting resulted in an agreement on preparing within two weeks and submitting to the Administration of Arkhangelsk Oblast of a Statement setting forth the situation and containing proposals as to resolving the existing problem. This will draw the authorities' attention to the serious ness and scale of the situation, which both prevents the provision of telecommunication services with due quality and violates the normal operation of the city's enterprise s, being a direct concern for all residents of Arkhangelsk , as it threatens their personal security .

'As a result of the illegal cutting out of the telephone cable, first of all, our subscribers suffer – many residents of Arkhangelsk are deprived of the opportunity of getting connected with the outer world, calling an emergency service (ambulance, fire brigade, police); apartment security systems and fire safety system s are disconnected because of communication outages. Damage from such offence for an enterprise amounts to millions of roubles. The funds used for restoration could be spent for further development of the city's communication network of Arkhangelsk and for provision new clients with telecommunication services,' Vladimir Ivanovich Belokaminsky, Regional Director – Director of the Arkhangelsk Branch of OJSC N.W.Telecom said.