JPS cuts the power of five proprietors

Five business operators have been arrested for stealing electricity, as the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) intensifies its efforts to crack down on power theft.

They were among 10 persons detained in the first two weeks of this year.

The company has also recovered an estimated $6.5 million from persons involved in the theft of electricity.

According to the JPS, the commercial enterprises in which irregularities were found in its latest crackdown included a bar, a nightclub, a woodwork shop, a wholesale supermarket, a tour company, a restaurant and a clothing retailer.

Not all the business operators were arrested. However, five residential customers, including four women, were arrested.

More than 1,100 'throw-ups'

In addition, more than 1,100 illegal connections, or 'throw-ups', were removed from across Manchester, St Catherine and the Kingston Metropolitan Area.

The JPS has also reported that during the period, its Loss-Control Division inspected several meters and detected irregularities, such as line taps, meter bypasses and meter tampering.

The JPS, which has declared war on non-technical losses, has earmarked $6 billion over the next five years to fight this scourge.

Approximately 13 per cent of the electricity generated by the JPS is lost to theft.

The company has indicated that it aims to reduce losses by 2.03 per cent this year, and by at least one per cent each year from 2011 to 2014.