Less than half of the 12,000 drive-off cases that were reported at Queensland fuel service stations in the last fiscal year were solved, according to newly released figures from the state’s police service. In all, arrests by the police led to 5,254 prosecutions, a success rate of around 44%.
The number of drive-offs in the state has almost doubled since last year from 6,000 – a phenomenon attributed to rising living costs in major cities like Brisbane. The figures also show that the prevelence of incidents has risen over the last number of years, with just 1,542 recorded in the 2007-08 financial year.
Groups affected by the crime say they want more measures to be taken by authorities to deter would-be thieves, and are estimating that fuel theft is costing the industry around $200m each year.
Nic Moulis, Chief Executive of the Australian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (pictured), has praised retailers for their recent efforts in establishing a register of offenders, which different stations can use to identify possible threats that have struck elsewhere.
“We can match up data from across the country and finally start to identify those people who are doing this consistently and who think they can get away with it at BP or Caltex or in the city of Brisbane and then drive out to Ipswich and do it again out there,” he explained.
The retailers hope that their creation will eventually lead to the establishment of a national register, which could be used throughout the entire Australian fuel service station network.
PetrolWorld 03102012
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