{"content":[{"text":"Energy suppliers are legally obligated to actively investigate the theft of energy. \n Your energy supplier recognises the importance of identifying where customers \n may be facing challenging circumstances whilst undertaking their investigations, \n however energy theft is dangerous and a criminal activity.","bbox":{"left":0.122395,"top":0.089248,"width":0.782016,"height":0.068801}},{"text":"Theft Charter \n Background \n Your energy supplier recognises that some \n customers face challenging circumstances \n which require an appropriate level of support. \n Customers must themselves understand that \n anybody tampering with the meter or the \n energy supply is committing a criminal offence. \n They also put their home and their family at \n risk, as well as those of their neighbours. \n The Theft Charter is a cross-industry \n commitment to ensure a consistent approach \n is taken whilst undertaking energy theft \n investigations in respect of domestic \n customers. Where a customer is found to be \n vulnerable, the appropriate actions will be \n taken to ensure the welfare of the individual(s) \n is recognised whilst continuing to investigate a \n potential criminal offence.","bbox":{"left":0.120984,"top":0.190953,"width":0.38018700000000005,"height":0.31345499999999993}},{"text":"Reasonable Supplier Actions \n In checking for meter tampering, energy \n suppliers can undertake the following \n reasonable actions: \n • Gain access to premises to inspect the \n metering equipment; a visual check is \n essential to confirm tampering activity and \n assess whether the premises and \n equipment are safe. \n • If access is refused, a supplier can apply to \n the courts for a warrant of entry, which \n gives the legal right to gain access to a \n premise, by force if necessary. \n • Recover all costs associated with the \n tampering investigation, replacing, or \n repairing a tampered meter and the value \n of energy assessed to have been stolen. \n • Install alternative metering equipment e.g. \n a pre-payment meter. \n • Monitor ongoing energy consumption and \n maintain appropriate records to help \n determine whether there are any further \n attempts to use energy illegally. \n • Request the network operator to consider \n either a de-energisation or disconnection of \n supply where co-operation is not achieved \n and/or premises upon inspection are found \n to be unsafe. \n • Undertake action in the civil courts to \n recover all of their costs and the value of \n stolen and unbilled energy where a \n customer decides not to pay. \n • Pursue action in the criminal courts either \n via private prosecution or via the police and \n the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or \n Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service \n (COPFS) in Scotland.","bbox":{"left":0.525012,"top":0.214328,"width":0.38019100000000006,"height":0.678675}},{"text":"Supplier Obligations \n Energy suppliers are legally obligated to \n undertake a number of measures to proactively \n identify and investigate meter tampering. \n Where it is found that meter tampering has \n occurred an energy supplier is obligated to \n make the site safe which may involve \n disconnecting supply. Energy suppliers are \n also entitled to recover the associated costs \n and, depending on the severity of the \n tampering found, possibly take court action. \n Your energy supplier will seek to identify who \n has committed the meter tamper and \n determine the appropriate level of \n enforcement. Depending on the extent and \n severity of the offence, they may also consider \n action in the criminal courts.","bbox":{"left":0.120984,"top":0.533088,"width":0.3800720000000001,"height":0.27497099999999997}}],"images_bbox":[{"left":0.000588,"top":-0.000416,"width":0.997783,"height":0.085519},{"left":0.133844,"top":0.064994,"width":0.132433,"height":0.01354}],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[{"left":0.000588,"top":-0.000416,"width":0.997783,"height":0.085519},{"left":0.133844,"top":0.064994,"width":0.132433,"height":0.01354}]}