SARAH ANDERSON APRIL 15, 2014 WYNDHAM LEADER PETROL is stolen from Wyndham service stations about three times a day. Police data has revealed there were 103 petrol thefts from local service stations recorded in January, and 101 in December. But a pilot program set up one year ago to pursue petrol thieves is making a dent. What penalties should apply to petrol thefts? Tell us below or email us. Constable Colleen Spiteri, from the Wyndham Petrol Drive Off Unit, said petrol theft was an “epidemic” in Wyndham. The price of fuel and the fact that it was an easy target drove the crime, she said. But Constable Spiteri said there had been an improvement in the reporting of the crime and repeat offenders were being caught. In January alone, police laid 262 charges in relation to petrol thefts worth $6300. One woman was charged with 127 offences including theft of…

Jeff Rogut The link below shows a terrific new BP M&S store format video with senior BP interviews. An important development for the international convenience industry. This has been produced by Dan Munford, MD, Insight Research UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KknxbL2ho3U&feature=youtu.be

April 15, 2014 CSDecisions “We must close this new gateway to addiction to protect our children,” says Durbin. Eleven Democratic lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives released a report that shows a dramatic recent increase in the marketing of electronic cigarettes with extensive resources being dedicated to social media, sponsorship of youth-oriented events, and television and radio advertisements that reach substantial youth audiences. The report, “Gateway to Addiction? A Survey of Popular Electronic Cigarette Manufacturers and Marketing to Youth,” is the first comprehensive investigation of e-cigarette marketing tactics and was compiled using responses from eight e-cigarette manufacturers received by the lawmakers from their investigation into the industry and other publicly available information. In light of the findings in this report, and following investigative reports recently released by the New York Times and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the group of lawmakers once more called on the…

AMI HUMPAGE APRIL 16, 2014 TWO men were arrested this morning following a police investigation into a spate of petrol thefts across Melbourne. Search warrants were executed by detectives from the Wyndham, Melton and Hobsons Bay Vehicle Crime Reduction Teams at 4am today at three properties in the western suburbs. Two properties were located on Eyre St, Melton and the third property was on Snowden St in Laverton. It comes just days after Wyndham police said petrol theft was at ‘epidemic’ levels in the west. More than 800 litres of petrol, stored in gallon drums, was seized from one Melton property. A hydroponic cannabis setup was also located at the address and externally grown cannabis, other drugs, cars trailers and weapons were also seized. A 32-year-old Melton man and a 34-year-old Laverton man were arrested and are currently being interviewed. They are expected to be charged later today. The petrol…

RICHARD GLUYAS APRIL 15, 2014 THE AUSTRALIAN THE Federal Court yesterday helped to further shape the rules of engagement for fuel discount schemes, and there’s good news and bad news for both the big retail chains and Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims. For Sims, the big competition issue surrounding fuel discounts by Woolworths and Coles had already been resolved, and that was the tendency for fuel prices to rise for 80 per cent of the population at the same time as the discounts were spiking for the other 20 per cent who had the good fortune to have shopper dockets. The ACCC has successfully cracked the whip and it’s now confident that kind of behaviour has been nipped in the bud. Compared to the big picture, the twin Federal Court rulings are incidental but still important. While the watchdog is considering its legal options in relation to…