FLOW Jamaica on Friday lauded the vigilance of the security forces in their efforts to recover stolen copper that had been illegally removed from the company’s network infrastructure.

“This latest recovery in Riverton, St Andrew, on June 20 marks a significant step in Flow’s efforts to combat the plaguing issue of theft and vandalism,” the company said in a press statement.

“This scourge has been the foremost cause of service outages to residential and business customers over the last several years. Havendale and Red Hills in St Andrew are among communities plagued by the criminals in recent months, as part of a long-standing series of theft and vandalism that has continued to plague the company and tens of thousands of its customers, despite comprehensive security measures,” the telecoms provider said.

According to Michael Brown, Flow’s director of technology operations, the theft of copper and other materials from the company has significantly hampered the quality of service delivered to affected customers, who have been left with no access to emergency services, and no connectivity for personal entertainment, education, as well as online business transactions.

“We are incredibly grateful for the recovery of the stolen copper,” said Brown. “This is a testament to the effectiveness of our collaborative efforts with law enforcement and our internal security measures. It is also a crucial step in deterring criminals who continue to plague our network, which our customers depend on daily.”

Added Brown: “The deliberate action and blatant disregard by vandals of the impact of their activities on critical areas such as national security, online learning, e-commerce, and economic growth is extremely troubling. Flow Jamaica remains committed to working closely with the security forces and other stakeholders to address the scourge of theft and vandalism decisively.”

The telecoms company said that since the start of the year at least 17 communities across the island have been impacted by copper theft, with a material cost of more than $44 million.

Flow said it will, however, continue to work with all stakeholders to take all necessary actions to deter criminal elements involved in theft and vandalism of its infrastructure.