A man has been arrested in Invercargill after 855 litres of petrol was stolen from a contractor's yard in four separate burglaries spanning a week.
The yard was targeted four times between March 28 and April 5.
The first theft involved the use of a stolen motor vehicle when 400 litres was loaded into jerry cans.
Acting Detective Sergeant Scott MacKenzie said police recovered 11 jerry cans, each containing 20 litres, when they executed a search warrant at the alleged offender's address.
"We’re happy to have nabbed this suspect quickly and been able to recover some of the stolen fuel."
He said police had been investigating rising reports of fuel thefts.
"This quick arrest should be a warning to anyone that commits this type of offending. I want to reassure the community that we are committed to disrupting this type of crime and holding offenders to account."
A 32-year-old man appeared in the Invercargill District Court today charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle, theft over $1000, two counts of theft between $500-$1000, theft under $500 and failure to carry out obligations in relation to computer search.
Police reminded individuals and businesses that have fuel on their properties to make sure they are secured.
Fuelling a crime trend
Fuel thefts have been rising around the country since petrol and diesel prices surged following the escalation of conflict involving Iran, which has rattled global energy markets and pushed up wholesale fuel costs.
Recent cases have ranged from 200 litres siphoned from a digger at a volunteer bike park to about 3000 litres stolen from a Marton business in a pre-dawn raid, with offenders turning up equipped with pumps, containers and trailers.
Police have also made arrests after thefts in Waikato, Christchurch, Hamilton and Southland, where hundreds of litres of fuel were taken from businesses and rural properties, often causing significant disruption and cost to victims.
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