Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

A JPS employee removes illegal connections from power lines. - File

Mary Coleman, a 35-year-old vendor, has been stealing electricity for more than five years. She knows it's wrong, but says she is unable to do any better.

"Bwoy, a jus' mi circumstances why mi haffi do it," she tells The Gleaner. "I cyaan afford fi pay light bill, feed mi three (children) and buy goods and still survive."

Coleman, who lives in a two-bedroom home in Spanish Town, is one of thousands of residents who caused the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) to incur approximately $4.8 billion due to electricity theft in 2007. And to make matters worse, legitimate customers had to fork out an additional $2.8 billion to cover the cost. In 2006, the figures stood at J$4.1 billion. Approximately $2.3b was underwritten by JPS and $1.8b by customers.

This is because both JPS and its customers bear the costs associated with electricity theft.

Losses are negligible

But Coleman, who also steals electricity at her Burke Road stall, thinks that JPS's losses are negligible.

"The light weh mi a tief a nuh nutten," she says, as she hangs a Tommy Hilfiger shirt on her stall. "Dat nah affect nobody. Plus, JPS a rob people to," reasons Coleman. "All mi use light fi run a mi radio, mi TV and mi fridge and mi nuh overdo it," she said.

But Coleman acknowledges the safety risks that power theft presents, saying she would avoid stealing electricity, she could.

"A mi babyfadda put up the wire, mi nuh really understand weh him do, 'cause mi 'fraid a dem tings there," she says.

JPS, the nation's only public distributor of electricity, estimates that there are in excess of 110,000 illegal 'throw-up' lines or illegiti-mate connections in communities across the island, primarily found in inner-city and poor rural communities. Of this number, approximately 50 per cent are estimated to be in the Corporate Area.

But electricity theft isn't unique to inner cities or low-income earners.

Winsome Callum, head of communications at JPS, tells The Gleaner that though illegal 'throw-up' lines are not usually found in upper-class communities, where residents are typically legitimate customers, electricity theft is still a concern.

"In cases where legitimate customers steal electricity, they use more sophisticated methods, which include meter tampering, meter bypass and line taps," she said in an email response.

The cost has risen significantly over the years because of increases in fuel prices, which have soared by over 125 per cent during the last three years - the higher the fuel price, the greater the value of the electricity stolen.

The light and power company says it is spending over $300 million each year towards both preventing and detecting the theft of electricity.

The fight

"It must be recognised, however, that the fight against electricity theft must involve all stakeholders, legitimate customers, the Government, security forces, citizen's associations and community leaders," Callum urges.

Since the start of the year, the light and power company has already removed over 10,000 illegal 'throw-up' lines from several communities and has carried out approximately 2,000 large account audits. Additionally, about 5,000 small commercial and residential accounts have been investigated for irregularities.

In 2007, the company's reduction programme resulted in the removal of 25,000 illegal 'throw-up' lines, 134 arrests and the recovery of approximately $494 million in retroactive and forward billing.

Following some 15,000 account audits last year, it also discovered several cases of meter tampering and bypass, line taps and direct connections. Among these cases of theft were several high-profile customers and business places.

Real name withheld

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com