AACS: WA POLICE FUEL DRIVE-OFF FOCUS APPLAUDED

June 25, 2018: The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has applauded WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson’s state-wide directive to police officers to investigate thieves who fill their cars up with petrol then take off without paying.
Fuel theft is one of the most serious – and frequent – crimes committed against service stations nationally, costing the average store hundreds in lost sales each week and posing significant threats to other customers and the general public.
According to the AACS State of the Industry Report 2017, petrol theft costs the average Australian convenience store over $162 in financial losses each week.
“In the past, not only in Western Australia but nationally, there has been no real deterrent attached to this crime. On behalf of the convenience industry, we’re grateful to the new Commissioner’s clear directive for police to recognise and treat petrol theft as the serious crime it is, and to seek to bring thieves to justice,” AACS CEO Jeff Rogut says.
“Convenience stores experience petrol theft crimes each week and they pay the financial cost, all while trying to operate their small businesses.
“We require a strategic law enforcement effort on a national basis, coupled with the appropriate judicial support, to make a meaningful dent in this widespread criminal practice.”
One of the most common and ill-founded “solutions” to petrol theft is the installation of mandatory prepaid systems, which force people to pay before they fill up.
However mandatory prepay is not a viable option for retailers, for whom impulse sales and add-on purchases are crucial to their profitability, given the low margin on fuel.
“Prepayment systems penalise all customers despite only a few who actually doing the wrong thing. It also penalises retailers and as such is inappropriate as a blanket solution,” Mr Rogut says.
“It’s important to remember that petrol is a low margin product for convenience stores. Forcing customers to prepay could go so far as to jeopardise the viability of some small businesses,” he says.
The AACS believes improved technology, including recognition of stolen plates, unregistered and stolen vehicles, could assist in tackling this crime and bringing offenders to account before the law.
Loss of driver demerit points could also play a role in deterring this crime, according to the AACS.
Further information:                                                                                              
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789
Media enquiries:     
Stephen Naylor
Wise McBaron Communication
Ph: +61 (2) 9279 4770