As the summer months approach, offices, shops and factories across the country will increasingly place demands on their air conditioning units. Having been in hibernation mode throughout the winter months, many air conditioning units will have had scant regard paid to them during this time, and it is during this period that many units will no longer work - often not because of mechanical failure, but because of thieves, and many businesses won't realise this until it's too late. That's why is vitally important that businesses which use air-conditioning should check their system in order to ensure it is still intact and operable.

Thieves aren't interested in stealing the air conditioning units themselves; while most thieves would run a mile at the mention of 'copper', thinking that you were referring to the police, it is in fact a different kind of copper they are interested in: the copper which forms part of the unit. Coinciding with the current period of high value copper prices, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of incidents relating to the theft of copper-constructed components - and air conditioning units are a prime target.

The thefts of copper components from air conditioning units has affected many industries which utilise air conditioning facilities, including power utilities, telecommunications, transport networks and the construction industry particularly. However, it isn't just industries that are being targeted by thieves as even the art world has been affected with reports of bronze statues being among thieves' rich pickings.

Recent valuations of scrap copper place it at up to 90% of the value of newly-manufactured copper, so it's not hard to see its lure for thieves; although in obtaining the metal, thieves are putting themselves at great risk. In the United States, there have been reports of up to twelve people having been killed in the act of stealing copper. But valuation aside, why are thieves risking their lives in order to harvest copper?

In terms of an air conditioning unit - a rich source of copper - it is the outside of the unit that proves particularly fruitful for thieves. This is because the pipes which carry the refrigerant are made of copper and a typical air conditioning unit will possess around 24 kilograms of copper tubing. In order to combat the rising tide of copper theft from air conditioning units, business owners are responding to the thefts by taking precautions to protect the units by installing cages or erecting fencing around the units as a deterrent.

However, while this helps protects the business' air conditioning units, it unfortunately drives thieves to look elsewhere for copper - new and vacant homes, churches, schools and offices that are currently undergoing air conditioning installations are all prime targets for thieves' skullduggery.

Given the use of copper in the case of residential homes, it appears that thieves put more value on the copper itself rather than their own life: copper is commonly used in piping that is used to transmit gas-flow and central heating systems into the home, while thieves have even been known to steal copper earthing cable from electricity sub-stations! However, as copper is a relatively sturdy metal and requires cutting, thieves are using any means necessary to cut through the pipes in order to snatch their prize away - potentially releasing gas, which could be ignited by a single spark, or even cutting through live, high voltage cables - putting their lives, and those around them at risk.

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