Ontario Provincial Police with the North Bay detachment are investigating two separate copper theft incidents from a communications tower on Centennial Crescent in Corbeil.
The thefts happened early Monday and again Wednesday.
Police are advising residents of a significant disruption to mobile phone service in parts of East Ferris Township, following damage to communication infrastructure.
“Public safety is our top priority,” states a release. “Due to the outage, some residents may be unable to place or receive mobile calls, including 911. If you’re unable to connect, consider moving to an area where signal may be available. The OPP will maintain an increased presence in the community to support residents. We continue to work with local emergency response partners.”
Provincial police say the tower is in a fenced compound that was found unsecured with the locking mechanisms missing, adding the cables appear to have been cut using a power tool.
They also say it’s believed someone then climbed the tower and severed the opposite ends of the cables.
The North Bay OPP Crime Unit and the OPP Forensic Identification Services (FIS) are engaged with the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the North Bay OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca. You may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Bell, meantime, says some customers in the area may be experiencing Mobility service interruptions this week with their network infrastructure damaged by copper theft.
The company says they’re working to repair the damage and restore service levels by the end of the week.
