Worried by the increase in energy theft and vandalism of transformers, electric cables, other facilities enabling distribution of power in communities, the Police Community Relations Committee(PCRC) and the Portharcourt Electricity Distribution Company(PHED) are partnering to end the menace in Rivers state.
This was the outcome of the visit of executives of PCRC in Rivers state led by its Chairman, Mr. Voke Emore to the state headquarter of PHED located at Moscow road Portharcourt
Mr. Benson Uwheru the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of PHED who received the executives of PCRC in Rivers state, stressed the importance of the partnership in ending the scourge of vandalism of facilities enabling distribution of power in communities.
Earlier, Mr. Voke Emore said vandalism of Electrical assets empowering distribution of power is a criminal offence which impacts negatively on the communities.
Mr. Emore explained that when PHED facilities like transformers, cables, poles etc. are vandalized and stolen, it throws the community into darkness and many business are grounded because most business are power dependent.
The PCRC Chairman disclosed that when there is power outage in communities, it becomes very easy for criminals to perpetrate other crimes in these places under the cover of darkness.
Mr. Emore stated that PCRC and PHED will carry out massive sensitization,
enlightenment campaign in communities on the negative consequences of energy theft and vandalism to the economy with a view to ending the menace.
He added that if every community member have the mindset that the electrical facilities are there own, they will be committed in protecting the PHED assets from activities of vandals
Our correspondent reports that as part of the awareness campaign, PCRC and PHED has started erecting bill boards in major bus stops in the city with banners that has inscriptions such as ” Say No To Vandalism of PHED facility and Power Theft.