Proliferation of copper and cable thefts in France

On November 9, 2026, a collective catering company in Toulouges, near Perpignan, was victim to a copper theft, with estimated damages of €60,000 and food waste; the same day, measures against these thefts were announced in Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard, and Pays de Vitré. On November 10, a man was sentenced in Le Mans to eight months in prison for attempted copper theft and violence against a police officer, while cable thefts were reported in Gers, merchants in Perpignan expressed their weariness, and the Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines stadium was vandalized; in Toulouges, a bakery and the central kitchen were paralyzed, prompting the town hall to institute night patrols. On November 11, nine suspects were apprehended in the Valenciennes area after three attempted cable thefts targeting railway installations. On November 12, a team suspected of stealing charging station cables was dismantled in Île-de-France, and a cable theft disrupted the SNCF Paris-Rouen line in Eure. On November 13 and 14, thefts of charging station cables were reported to be sharply increasing, a fiber optic theft deprived approximately 5,000 households of internet around Ribeauvillé, and the Marcelcave town hall launched a call for witnesses after copper cable thefts.