Western Australia is the fuel drive-off capital of Australia, with the number of drivers failing to pay for petrol three times higher than the national average.
It’s a crime that costs the industry $58 million every year, and law-abiding drivers end up paying for it.
Petrol stealing costs service stations around the county approximately $169 every week.
But in WA, the cost is closer to $500 per week.
The higher the price of fuel, the more often it happens.
Small businesses are heavily impacted and police are beginning to pay closer attention to the problem.
In the past, police say it has not been considered a priority because the crime was difficult to prosecute.
However, in 2018, the new Police Commissioner Chris Dawson issued a directive to officers that they must investigate and, wherever possible, prosecute.
‘The more fuel theft, the higher the prices will be.’
The new policy, and ever-improving licence plate scanning technology means it’s easier for culprits to be detected.
While WA remains the capital of the drive-off, numbers are down on last year because of the new measures and added scrutiny.
Last financial year, about 2700 offences were reported.
This year, to the end of March, about 1900 offences had been reported.
Service station operators say that number is still too high and they want more done to stop thieves.
“We’re looking for a far greater rate of prosecutions, far greater penalties, loss of demerit points and potential loss of licence,” Perth service station owner Jeff said.
He added that the more frequent the fuel theft, the worse it would be for the average person’s hip pocket when they filled up at the bowser.
“You have to be able to come back and compensate the business for that loss, so the more fuel theft, the higher the prices will be,” he warned.
Extracted from 7news