Theft of almost 500 km of traffic light cables in Rio in five years has already caused damage of R$ 27 million; Méier and Tijuca lead the statistics

Almost 500 km of traffic light cables and 488 controllers have been stolen in the city of Rio since 2021. The damage caused by this type of crime reached R$ 27 million in five years. The neighborhoods of Méier and Tijuca lead theft statistics. The city government decided to create the Integrated Center for Combating Cable Theft and Receiving to address the problem. The group, announced on Tuesday, brings together municipal, state agencies and utility companies. Among the proposals are identifying locations, times and patterns of thefts, mapping recurring occurrence points, locating scrap yards and establishments that buy, store and sell stolen cables, as well as recovering the stolen material.