This often happens very suddenly. One street is plunged into darkness, and a few hours later another follows. In Villeurbanne, a neighboring city of Lyon, a series of copper thefts is causing growing concern. Entire residential areas lose their street lighting at night—the consequences go far beyond a technical malfunction.
“When walking, you have to be careful,” more and more residents say. The phrase seems simple, but it gets to the heart of the matter. A lack of light immediately changes everyday life. Parents prefer to drive their children, older people avoid going out at night, and cyclists are more cautious when crossing intersections. Where streetlights once provided guidance, dark gaps suddenly appear. And darkness affects a city.
According to the municipal authorities, around ten kilometers of copper cable have already been stolen. At peak times, about fifty streets have been affected. The perpetrators appear to act deliberately: they open utility access points, cut underground lines, and leave with the valuable metal. Copper prices have remained high for years—making public infrastructure an increasingly common target for organized theft.
What is particularly difficult is that the method appears both professional and risky. Some thefts take place late at night and even involve lines that are still live. Lighting service staff say the damage cannot be repaired easily. New cables are difficult to obtain quickly, and replacement parts arrive slowly. As a result, some streets remain dark for days.
The city government is working to take countermeasures. Patrol vehicles are speeding up the detection of new damage, and residents now report faulty streetlights directly to the authorities. At the beginning of May, police caught and arrested a 46-year-old man. But no one is breathing a sigh of relief, because the incidents are too frequent.
The case of Villeurbanne reflects a problem faced by many cities in France. Copper theft is no longer limited to construction sites or industrial facilities. More and more power grids, railway installations and public lighting are becoming targets. The actual value of the material appears secondary—the associated costs, however, increase significantly. More importantly, there is a growing sense that even the most basic infrastructure has become vulnerable.
In Villeurbanne, this development is particularly sensitive. The city has recently made headlines repeatedly over drug crime, violent incidents and growing insecurity. Now, with entire streets plunged into darkness, many residents feel an unspoken sense of losing control. It is as if to say: first the copper cables disappear, then the sense of security.
In a modern city, light serves more than just a practical purpose. Illuminated streets convey a sense of presence, order and orientation. Without light, people’s behavior changes almost automatically. Public squares become deserted more quickly, paths seem more dangerous, and the city withdraws inward at night.
This is precisely what makes such thefts so sensitive. A streetlight may seem ordinary—until it suddenly disappears.