Shocking increase as West Midland petrol thefts hit 7,400
The number of petrol thefts across the West Midlands has risen by 86 per cent in the last three years.
In 2015/16 the number of incidents where petrol was stolen in the region totalled 3,982.
The following year it had jumped to 5,817, a Freedom of Information request to West Midlands Police shows.
But the most recent figures from 2017/18 show the number is now at 7,436.
Campaigners said petrol stations are paying a ‘heavy price’ for fuel thefts and that innocent drivers were having to pay higher costs to cover the losses.
But police chiefs have said they do all they can to help petrol stations minimise the risk of becoming a theft victim.
West Midlands Police lead for business crime, Superintendent Harvi Khatkar, said: “The force thoroughly investigates all bilking offences and we work closely with petrol station managers and the British Oil Security Syndicate on tackling this issue.
“While encouraging businesses to take steps to minimise the likelihood of them becoming a victim − such as operating a pre-pay policy and installing good quality CCTV – we also routinely share images of fuel theft suspects on our Flickr and Facebook pages so that people can help us track down offenders so that we can bring them before the courts.”
Shaz Saleem, manager of Beacon and Express Taxis in the Black Country, said measures should be put in place to help petrol station businesses, such as a ‘pay first’ scheme.
He said: “In taxi driving, if we feel suspicious we have every right to request payment up front – I think petrol stations should be able to do that too.
"These figures are shocking, we need to do as much as possible to crack down on this and reduce the crime.
“The Police and Crime Commissioner especially needs to see what he can do to improve this service.
"We need to catch these criminals to ensure they aren’t doing it to anyone else. We should not be allowing this to happen.”
Police and Crime and Commissioner for the West Midlands David Jamieson said: “Petrol theft can be very harmful to businesses and I take it very seriously.
"West Midlands Police are tracking down and taking action against petrol thieves, and working with petrol stations to take better preventative measures.”
The Liberal Democrat party in Wolverhampton obtained the figures from police. Lib Dem campaigner Nick Machnik-Foster said: “I worry that that budget cuts means that criminals are being the green light to steal from petrol stations. The police must do more.”
