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Metal theft is "the theft of items for the value of their constituent metals".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Indianapolis Metal Theft Project )〕 It usually increases when worldwide prices for scrap metal rise, as has happened dramatically due to rapid industrialization in India and China. Apart from precious metals like gold and silver, the metals most commonly stolen are non-ferrous metals such as copper, aluminium, brass, and bronze. However, even cast iron and steel are seeing higher rates of theft due to increased scrap metal prices. One defining characteristic of metal theft is the motivation. Whereas other items are generally stolen for their extrinsic value, items involved in metal theft are stolen for their intrinsic value as raw material or commodities. Thefts often have negative consequences much higher than the metal value, such as the destruction of valuable statues, power interruptions, and the disruption of railway traffic. ==Motivations for theft== Scrap metal has drastically increased in price over recent years. In 2001, ferrous scrap sold for $77 a ton, increasing to $300/ton by 2004. In 2008, it hit nearly $500/ton.〔 Some elected officials and law enforcement officials have concluded that many metal thefts are by drug addicts stealing metal in order to fund their addictions. Some officials believe that most of these drug-related metal thefts are caused by methamphetamine users; however, this varies by the location of the metal being stolen. A more likely explanation for the phenomenon is the unusually high price of non-ferrous metals coupled with elevated levels of unemployment. Individuals turn to metal theft to support themselves when more legitimate or socially acceptable means of earning an income are not open to them. Regardless of the reason, the industrialization of developing nations helps to increase the demand for scrap metal.〔 In the fourth quarter of 2008, world market prices for metals like copper, aluminium, and platinum dropped steeply. Although there is anecdotal evidence that this price decrease has led to fewer metal thefts, strong empirical research on the exact nature of the relationship between commodity prices and metal thefts is still lacking. Some have argued that the "genie is out of the bottle" now and drops in commodity prices will not result in corresponding drops in thefts. In fact, it is possible that thefts may actually increase to compensate for the loss in value. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「metal theft」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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