Police nab 42 over fuel thefts

By Alison Noonan
PETROL thieves are wreaking financial havoc on Cranbourne service stations as fuel prices continue to soar.
Motorists filling up and driving off without paying are costing petrol stations hundreds of dollars a week and operators say they have had enough.
A recent police blitz on petrol thieves in the Cranbourne NorthLyndhurst area nabbed 42 offenders in three days, with most of the charges relating to drivers using false number plates.
Several petrol operators throughout Cranbourne and Lyndhurst expressed their growing frustration about petrol driveoffs to the News, but some did not want to speak publicly.
Assistant manager 7Eleven Fiveways Tamer Fanous said petrol thieves were costing his father’s familyowned and run business about $200 a week.
He said the station recorded a loss of almost $5000 in the last financial year.
“We have had heaps of petrol driveoffs ever since petrol prices went up,” Mr Fanous said.
“We get about four driveoffs a week.
“It is very frustrating.”
Mr Fanous said the thieves were almost impossible to catch because they often installed fake or stolen number plates to escape identification from surveillance technology and police.
“We have surveillance cameras but they are useless if they (drivers) use fake plates,” he said.
“We can’t do anything about it.
“Most driveoffs occur at peak times when we are flat out. They take advantage of a busy situation.”
Mobil Cranbourne North manager Maria Gaudic said her store had already suffered six petrol driveoffs this month, describing the loss of petrol and takings as “very hard on staff and management”.
“We get a lot of driveoffs and it really does make a difference, especially on staff,” she said.
“As soon as we turn our backs they drive off, leaving our staff scared that they will get in trouble from the boss.”
Ms Gaudic said the majority of driveoffs occurred as soon as petrol prices rose.
With petrol currently priced about $1.12 and increasing, the situation would only get worse, she said.
“We recently had three driveoffs in one night,” Ms Gaudic said.
“And because it now costs about $50 or $60 to fill up the average car, we are losing in excess of $500 a month on petrol driveoffs.
“If they use fake number plates there is no way we can find them.”
Cranbourne Leading Senior Constable Ben Bolton said skyrocketing petrol prices prompted the recent operation to nab petrol thieves.
“We identified a pattern of petrol driveoffs and targeted drivers in and around the stations,” he said.
“More often we got them before they had a chance to driveoff, with a couple caught with false plates and numerous other traffic offences,” he said.
Leading Sen Const Bolton said that although the early July blitz was successful, there was still a high number of offences being committed in the Cranbourne area.
“Petrol driveoffs are particularly common on the Western Port and South Gippsland Highways,” he said.
“We urge anyone who is aware of drivers using false number plates to contact police.”