Electricity Power Police Start Operation
TEHRAN (MNA) – Iran’s Ministry of Energy has announced its electricity power police started operation reportedly to ‘cut the illegal use of power from local utility lines.’
The electricity police unit is part of extensive plan and scenario launched by the Ministry of Energy to reduce electricity theft and identify and disconnect the illegal connections to the utility lines in shortest time.
During a session held in mid-October, the State-owned Electricity Company and local branches met behind closed doors to discuss the possible scenarios to reduce power use in production network, transfer, and distribution levels. Houshang Falahatian, deputy-minister of energy pointed to plans devised to reduce power waste from 15 per cent to 10 per cent; "a short-term and immediate task force has been launched to reduce at least 4 per cent of current power waste through collecting illegal connections; power police has started operation across the country accordingly,” he added.
Ali Nazari, the head of TAVANIR (state-owned distributing company) Legal office detailed about the duties of the newly-established power police. "In some provinces, illegal connections and electricity theft is obvious, where law enforcement agents would engage in immediate action to arrest the perpetrator; however, sometimes it is difficult to identify an illegal connection,” he said, "for such circumstances, we have established specific electricity law enforcement officials; distributing companies are allowed to appoint their agents after qualification process,” he added.
"The agents will receive special training by the local Justice Department offices, and will represent the Department in dealing with illegal connections and electricity theft, and would be able to draft a criminal report if identified any case,” emphasized Nazari.
In line with power police, details of potential sentences and punishments have been set for illegal thefts of electricity. According to Nazari, illegal connection would be punishable as crime. "According to Article 660 of Islamic punishment law amended in 2008, any individual, water, electricity, land telephone line, gas, and wastewater networks using illegally and without paying accruing costs, would receive a verdict of guilty and sentence of paying twice as the price of the damage,” he said.
The electricity police unit is part of extensive plan and scenario launched by the Ministry of Energy to reduce electricity theft and identify and disconnect the illegal connections to the utility lines in shortest time.
During a session held in mid-October, the State-owned Electricity Company and local branches met behind closed doors to discuss the possible scenarios to reduce power use in production network, transfer, and distribution levels. Houshang Falahatian, deputy-minister of energy pointed to plans devised to reduce power waste from 15 per cent to 10 per cent; "a short-term and immediate task force has been launched to reduce at least 4 per cent of current power waste through collecting illegal connections; power police has started operation across the country accordingly,” he added.
Ali Nazari, the head of TAVANIR (state-owned distributing company) Legal office detailed about the duties of the newly-established power police. "In some provinces, illegal connections and electricity theft is obvious, where law enforcement agents would engage in immediate action to arrest the perpetrator; however, sometimes it is difficult to identify an illegal connection,” he said, "for such circumstances, we have established specific electricity law enforcement officials; distributing companies are allowed to appoint their agents after qualification process,” he added.
"The agents will receive special training by the local Justice Department offices, and will represent the Department in dealing with illegal connections and electricity theft, and would be able to draft a criminal report if identified any case,” emphasized Nazari.
In line with power police, details of potential sentences and punishments have been set for illegal thefts of electricity. According to Nazari, illegal connection would be punishable as crime. "According to Article 660 of Islamic punishment law amended in 2008, any individual, water, electricity, land telephone line, gas, and wastewater networks using illegally and without paying accruing costs, would receive a verdict of guilty and sentence of paying twice as the price of the damage,” he said.