Openreach reaps benefit of invisible DNA marking with cable thefts down 30%

An invisible DNA marker that links criminals to crime scenes is playing a key role in helping the UK’s leading broadband provider, Openreach, clamp down on cable thefts, claiming that the number of incidents, which often cause widespread phone and broadband disruption, dropped by more than 30% across the UK last year.

The phenomenon has plagued the UK’s broadband sector for over a decade, and an all-party UK parliamentary group (APPG) inquiry earlier this year found that metal theft has cost the UK economy an estimated £4.3bn over the past 10 years. Scrap metal, including copper, is a popular target for thieves. Last year, when criminals struck in Bleasby, Nottinghamshire, they took more than 1.2km of Openreach cables, which all needed replacing.

Openreach’s theft reduction was achieved by a wide range of anti-theft measures, including coating miles of underground cables with a synthetic DNA and UV tracer called SelectaDNA. 

The technology works by leaving a unique DNA trace on people and vehicles that have contact with it. The tagging formula uses synthetically manufactured DNA particles to create a unique ID code, so when police recover stolen kit, it can be linked back to the exact location it was stolen from. Now widely used across the Openreach network, the DNA transfers to hands and clothing, and recently helped secure three convictions in Lincolnshire, including a 16-month prison sentence for attempted theft.

“Cable thefts are hugely disruptive. The loss of phone and broadband is not only inconvenient, but can put vulnerable people at risk. Repair work also pulls our engineers away from other work, can take weeks to finish and costs thousands of pounds,” commented Openreach’s Richard Ginnaw.

Cable thefts are hugely disruptive. The loss of phone and broadband is not only inconvenient, but can put vulnerable people at risk. Repair work also pulls our engineers away from other work, can take weeks to finish and costs thousands of pounds

“We take the security of our network seriously and have a wide range of crime prevention tools to prevent thefts and catch those responsible. Our dedicated security team investigates all attacks, and our network is alarmed and monitored 24/7 by our control centre. We hope criminals will take note of this new crime-fighting tool and continue to think twice before deciding to target Openreach’s network.”

SelectaDNA’s James Brown added: “The benefits of using SelectaDNA are twofold. Not only does it help prevent and reduce crime, it also helps the police by providing irrefutable evidence to link offenders to crime scenes. Openreach’s approach to tackling crime is very proactive and innovative, and results like this demonstrate how well their tactics are working.”

As far back as 2015, the BT broadband provision division reaffirmed its commitment to protecting its vulnerable cable assets from theft after extending its partnership with the Crimestoppers charity for a fifth year. Theft of cables from the Openreach network causes serious disruption to residential and business services, and is thought to have been behind a number of major outages in recent years. In 2013, a large part of London was knocked offline for three days after Openreach fibre cables in Brentford were cut by thieves looking for copper to sell.

Responsibility for digital infrastructure sits within the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) – led by Michelle Donelan, the secretary of state for DSIT – and telecoms industry regulator Ofcom.

In March 2024, the association representing the UK’s independent broadband providers, altnets, wrote to Donelan, demanding that attacks on critical digital infrastructure should carry tougher sentences and fines to act as a deterrent. It said the severity of the penalties should reflect the potential risks to life and the critical role that full fibre plays in keeping our communities connected and safe.

Altnets Ogi and Vorboss are leading the charge, calling on DSIT and Ofcom to conduct a review of the security of fibre infrastructure across the UK.