Police are urging businesses to stay vigilant amid fears of theft as the fuel crisis worsens.
Police said there had not been a notable rise in fuel-related crime yet, but a senior officer has warned that when there was a supply issue, illegal behaviour could follow.
It’s prompted authorities to share advice for businesses and residents on how to keep their vehicles and property safe from siphoning and fuel theft.
Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny told Breakfast fuel theft had been an issue “since I was a constable” and said police were keeping an eye on it.
“We are keeping a vigilant watching brief on what’s happening around the country with petrol theft.
“We’re not seeing significant increases at this stage.”
Police said it would “remain visible” in communities and “respond to any incidents” as they occurred.
“We just have to make sure that we are watching what’s happening," Penny said.
“This is a together thing, it’s really important that people, whether they are rural, in the city, report any thefts or suspicious activity to us.”
A pipe with cooling oil was vandalised in Auckland’s Manurewa yesterday morning, releasing an unknown substance into a nearby stream. Police were investigating.
Penny said it was a “possibility” that the alleged offender thought it was fuel and warned the incident was “what you will see across the country with any substantial issues around petrol theft”.
“I think the bigger issue is that wherever we have substantial petrol theft like that, we will absolutely prioritise the investigation.”
She warned that the act of stealing fuel was “really dangerous” and said: “People could die from doing this.”
Bruce Stephenson, owner of Hawke’s Bay livestock transport company Stephenson Transport, had someone break the lock of his workroom a few weeks ago, getting into two trucks and stealing $4600 worth of fuel carts.
He told Breakfast it was “potentially something we will have to look forward to happening perhaps more frequently”.
Stephenson said he had heard of two other recent examples of fuel theft.
He said his business and many others would need to be “very cautious and vigilant in what we’re doing with our equipment”.
Advice for businesses and motorists
This morning, police shared a set of guidelines to help businesses and motorists protect themselves against fuel theft.
For agricultural communities and businesses, police recommended parking vehicles with fuel caps close to the wall or another vehicle to restrict access, keeping fuel out of sight, ensuring tanks are secured and locked, keeping an inventory of fuel consumption, and installing fuel tank locking devices on all petrol and diesel tanks.
Police said “many” modern cars came with anti-siphoning techniques installed, but also noted other ways to avoid theft.
It said those parked in residential areas should keep their cars locked in a garage.
“If you can’t park your car in a garage, then park it on your property with the fuel cap close to the wall or another vehicle to restrict access.”
It recommended having security/sensor lighting “if possible”, parking in a “well-lit” area, and using a car alarm.
Police said it was “engaging” with petrol stations.
For retailers, police recommended using pre-pay or pump pre-authorisation “during times of elevated risk", having staff “maintain strong visibility” in the forecourt, and checking all tank and fill-point access to make sure areas were secure and locked.
It recommended reviewing and testing CCTV, ensuring pumps, entrances/exits, and tank access points were “clearly recorded”, and keeping the forecourt, storage sites, and rear-of-site access points well lit.
Police also said to conduct regular security patrols, especially overnight, and report any suspicious behaviour to 105 or 111 if the incident was currently happening.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including police keeping a watch on fuel related crime, and how do you steal 400,000 KitKats? (Source: 1News)
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