Hume among worst for fuel drive-offs in Victoria with servos struggling to cope

Bridie Byrne and Aleks Devic, Hume Leader
August 1, 2018
BOWSER bandits stole petrol almost 200 times across Hume in the past year, siphoning $160 a week on average from service stations, new figures reveal.
Crime Statistics Agency data shows there were 189 fuel drive-offs in the 12 months to March, one of the highest rates in the state.
Only Geelong, Whittlesea, Casey and Brimbank had more petrol thefts.
But Australasian Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Jeff Rogut warned the amount would be much higher as it was a crime that went under reported.
The fuel industry estimates $160 is siphoned from each petrol station weekly across Victoria, with the overall annual cost about $18-20 million.
It comes as Victoria Police will investigate every petrol drive-off backing down on a controversial policy that allowed fuel thieves to run rampant.
VicPol has changed its 2013 policy which required officers to get involved only if the vehicle was stolen, had fake plates or was owned by a known criminal. It also put the onus on servo operators to prove a crime was committed.
But under the changes officers must probe all fuel thefts, in order to build a dossier of serial offenders.
Mr Rogut said the more proactive and aggressive stance was well overdue.
“A lot people had given up reporting the drive-offs because nothing happens,” he said. Many think they are ripping off large companies but in actual fact it’s small business and franchisees that are facing the loss.”
Police spokeswoman Natalie Webster said under the changes, officers were responsible for making initial inquiries to determine if a criminal offence had occurred, including taking witness statements and looking at CCTV. She said the policy had been “transformed in keeping with community expectations”.
“These changes are designed to reflect that petrol theft often occurs alongside other serious offending, and also assist police to identify repeat offenders and patterns of offending,” she said.