Petrol theft is theft!

October 1st 2013

The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has again urged the Victorian Government and police to treat the genuine concerns of convenience store owners and their employees with due respect by taking petrol theft seriously, in terms of preventing and responding to this crime, and prosecuting the offenders.

AACS CEO Jeff Rogut said service station owners, operators and employees have been left repeatedly frustrated at the lack of decisive action taken at a regulatory and practical level to prevent this crime and hold offenders accountable.

Steal a confectionery bar from a supermarket or a lipstick from a department store and you will be prosecuted. But steal a tank of petrol from a convenience store or service station and unless the operator fills in onerous paperwork and provides all of the evidence to police, nothing happens.

“Petrol theft is a serious crime which costs service station operators significant financial loss and triggers considerable safety concerns for employees and the general public,” Mr Rogut said.

“We have written to various government Ministers and we’ve put forward a range of potential solutions to this issue for consideration.

“Unfortunately our efforts continue to be met with no responses. The legitimate concerns of our members have received absolutely no acknowledgement, other than interest and indeed support, from the media. The only reasonable conclusion to be drawn is that small business issues simply don’t rate as important enough the Government to take seriously. Unless of course there was an election pending and they would be seeking votes.

“Our message is simple: if you steal petrol we will be doing all we can to ensure that you’re caught and that you’re prosecuted, and we have no plans to cease lobbying Government and police around the country on this issue until such time as it is taken seriously,” Mr Rogut said.
On a national basis, intentional petrol theft costs the convenience industry upwards of $30 million annually, an in increase of 8% in 2012 over the previous year, significantly impacting the many small business people in the community who rely on these stores for their livelihood. There’s also the potential for dire safety consequences that can result from quick escapes by motorists after they have committed the crime.

Some potential solutions put forward by the AACS to numerous Ministers and police alike include:

-on the spot fines, similar to speeding fines or those incurred by shoplifters, and loss of licence demerit points,
-increased use of tamper proof screws for rego plates,
-learner driver education that it is their responsibility as a driver to pay for petrol and ‘drive offs’ are criminal actions,
-judges should be able to suspend licences for those convicted of petrol theft.
-increased usage of number plate recognition systems, already in use in many service stations, to be supported with rego info from bodies such as Vicroads to allow operators to pursue non payment, as -well as charge a fee for having to do this
-and improved partnerships with law enforcement and organisations such as Crimestoppers.

The installation of pre-paid petrol systems are often cited as a potential solution to the issue from those without first hand experience in the industry. However pre-paid petrol systems are unsuitable as a blanket solution.

“Pre-paid systems are at odds with the key offering of convenience stores. Stores shouldn’t have to jeopardise their service offering as it is unreasonable to inconvenience the majority of customers who do the right thing,” Mr Rogut said.

“There are numerous inconveniences associated with mandatory pre-paid systems. Customers may have to make multiple trips to the counter if they underestimate the petrol they require. They may have to return to the store to purchase additional items, adding to congestion during busy periods. Customers who do the right thing [and they are the majority] will feel alienated” he said. “In addition our business model relies on people coming into the store to buy their products”.

Technology may be a solution to assist operators such as pump start cards available in the US, and these should be investigated but these take both time and cost to implement.
No easy answers however AACS continues to call for tougher deterrents and increased penalties for those convicted of stealing petrol.
The need for police to work with the industry, and not just see prepay as the only answer, is however still a critical factor.