Thieves do not destroy elevators anymore – City Hall

After authorities publicised the issue related to the elevators, the thieves stopped destroying them. Head of Communal department Mihai Solcan told the session of City Hall on Monday, March 26 that the thefts stopped because authorities installed iron doors and asked the State Guard Service to supervise the elevators in the most affected districts of Chisinau. At present, in 12 apartment blocks the elevators are still not working because the “Lift-Services” company is refusing to cooperate, the cited source says. The City Hall contracted the services of “State Guard” Department at the beginning of March to end the row of thefts. Initially, these systems were installed in 20 apartment blocks in the regions were the thefts are more frequent, especially in Botanica district. During two months, the Chisinau General Police Office found 15 cases of theft of electric equipment and parts in elevators, including 11 cases in Botanica district and 4 cases in Centru district. According to the data provided by “Lift-Service”, there were 10-14 elevators damaged every week, and most of the times the transformers and the reel of the brake were stolen, containing 5 kg of copper. At the moment it is difficult to restore the elevators because the necessary spare parts are not produced any more. Out of the 77 elevators robbed since the beginning of the year, 54 have been reset to functioning, spending MDL 66 thousand. In February, there has been launched the municipal programme of elevator rehabilitation which included the resetting of cage’s lights, walls reparations, the renewal of command panels. 200 elevators by have been restored so far. Local authorities consider that the number of repaired lifts could have been larger if it not been for the thefts, as both reparation and rehabilitation of lifts are performed by the same persons. Approximately 90 elevator thefts have been registered during last year.