Victorian drivers are among the most significant petrol thieves in the nation, making off with over $21m in fuel annually. The locations with the highest number of thefts have been identified.
Over $21m worth of fuel is being stolen from petrol stations in Victoria each year.
The rising cost of living is being pointed out as a significant reason behind the increase in thefts.
Data from the Crime Statistics Agency, shared with the Herald Sun, indicates that 4,109 drive-offs were reported in the 12 months up to March of this year.
This is a significant increase from the 3,314 drive-offs the year before, marking a 24 per cent increase between March 2021, with interest rates at 0.1 per cent, and the same month this year when the rate increased to 3.6 per cent.
Since 2021, motorists have driven away from petrol stations without paying around 7,500 times. This has resulted in a loss of about $42m for businesses across Victoria during this period.
This means that every petrol station in Victoria, all 1,800 of them, has lost roughly $1,200 every month due to stolen fuel. This translates to a loss of 4 cents for every litre of fuel sold to legitimate customers.
Almost a third of Australia’s $85m in stolen fuel revenue yearly is attributed to thieves in Victoria. Each service station is estimated to lose $13,000 annually, which is considerably higher than the national average of $10,600.
The industry has started relying on tech-enabled systems to identify culprits and prevent them from refuelling at different stations by sharing the vehicle number plates involved in the thefts.
Casey is identified as the location with the highest number of thefts, recording 258 drive-offs in the past year, followed by Melton with 224 reports and Whittlesea with 223.
Bass Coast has experienced the most significant surge in thefts, with a 337 per cent increase from 8 reports in 2022 to 35 this year.
Robert Anderson, who owns Apco service stations in Geelong, mentioned losses nearing $10,000 across his 28 outlets this year.
He commented, “Drive-offs have dramatically increased. Offenders mock us as they leave with our fuel, possibly to engage in more criminal activities. The police, though, are under-resourced, making this issue challenging to address.”
A representative from Victoria Police stated, “We are actively collaborating with all relevant parties to combat petrol theft throughout Victoria, aiming to minimise these offences and ensure culprits face consequences.”
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