Graphic new posters showing a man with electric burns are being displayed on the Nexus Metro to dissuade cable thieves from attempting this increasingly prevalent crime.

Placed in prominent positions, these are meant to warn thieves of the danger they are placing themselves in, as well as highlighting the increasing risk of being caught by the police.

They are the latest in a long line of innovations, technology and campaigns to halt cable theft, but will these posters have a significant effect on the level of theft?

Disturbing images have been used to good effect in earlier public health campaigns, such as persuading people not to smoke, through images detailing the harm that cigarettes do to the body.

For some people, this tactic will provide a significant disincentive against stealing cable. It is one thing to acknowledge the damage that your actions will do, both personally and publicly, but it is quite another to see these effects illustrated so explicitly at the very moment before a crime is committed.

However, it is doubtful that this will work as a magic bullet against cable crime. But with a collaboration of previous methods, including harsher policing, a clampdown on the metal industry and technology to catch thieves faster, it could help to reduce the massive disruption this crime can cause.