UPDATE: Police have confirmed today that the man who suffered electrocution is still alive and remains in hospital in critical condition.

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

TALL PINES MP Leslie Miller yesterday renewed calls for a ban on copper following the electrocution of a man during an attempt to steal copper from the Bahamas Electricity Corporation on Friday.

Mr Miller said he is still “strongly considering” leaving the Progressive Liberal Party if the government doesn’t do something “really soon”; however, he said he believes Prime Minister Perry Christie will do the right thing.

“Now that someone died,” he said, “hopefully now the government will do something. People do not understand how serious this problem is. He and some other people went out there, broke through the gate to steal copper and got hit with 33,000 volts. I understand that he died last night (Sunday) in hospital.”

Mr Miller said: “I would hope this would bring more national attention to the issue.

“First they were stealing from churches, then civic organisations, the ZNS and BEC and even the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation. Now they are stealing it from cars and anywhere they can get it. We have to ban copper for the good of the Bahamian people.”

According to a press release from BEC, a brief outage in Western New Providence early Friday morning was caused after wires were “tampered with” at BEC’s substation at the Coral Harbour roundabout.

“BEC crews then carried out an inspection of its 33 kv line to find the cause of the initial outage,” the release said.

“Crews arrived at BEC’s substation on Coral Harbour Road at 11:25 a.m. where they found a man with severe burns about the body. An ambulance and police arrived at the substation and the injured man was transported to hospital.”

While the matter is being investigated by police, BEC officials inspected their substation property and discovered evidence that wires were tampered with.

Without prejudicing the police investigation, the Corporation believes that the outage and injury to the unidentified man were caused in an attempt to steal copper.

The statement warned that copper theft is a dangerous and illegal practice that could cause significant harm to life and damage to BEC’s equipment.

Police last night could not wconfirm the man’s death; however, Mr Miller said he understands the man died in hospital on Sunday night.

Yesterday, Mr Miller said that these types of incidents would not occur if the government bans the export and sale of copper.

“I am begging the government to please, please ban copper,” he said.

“This is not a political problem, this is a national problem. I am still considering my options and considering leaving the PLP if nothing is done. It is that serious to me, but at the end of the day I am sure the Prime Minister will do the right thing.”

In 2011, the widespread theft of copper and other metals led the Ingraham administration to enforce a permanent ban on the export of copper and a 90-day ban on scrap metal.

The ban was later lifted and copper exports were allowed under more stringent terms in an amendment to the Customs Management Act.

Last week, Mr Miller threatened to quit the PLP if the government does not stop the export of copper from The Bahamas.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Miller said he was “sick and tired of begging the government” to do something about the “vexing problem”.

Speaking to reporters in Grand Bahama, Prime Minister Perry Christie said he did not believe that Mr Miller was serious about leaving his party, but added that the organisation operates as a revolving door and persons can “walk out or walk in”.

National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage also said he had “difficulty believing” that the Tall Pines MP would threaten to leave the Progressive Liberal Party over the government’s failure to ban copper exports.

Dr Nottage said he agreed that the government should take steps to ban copper exports because many homeowners and businesses have suffered at the hands of copper thieves.

He added that the government would have to consider serious prosecution of those found guilty of the offence.