Beating
the Fuel Thieves
With the price of fuel on the increase Fife Police
has been running the initiative 'Forecourt Watch' in the bid to help business
beat the fuel thieves.
The Forecourt Watch initiative was piloted earlier this year in conjunction
with British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) and petrol stations in the
Dunfermline area. Forecourt Watch is pro-active and intelligence-led initiative
that has had some astounding results so far.
The initiative involves the garages sharing intelligence with each other
about problematic customers. Security advice has also been given to the
businesses in terms of how to make their fuel supply more secure and to
reinforce the options that are available to staff when dealing with problematic
customers.
Analysis taken from the period prior to the launch of the initiative compared
to analysis after the launch has shown that since the initiative has been
in operation, there has been a decrease of 35% in reported fuel thefts
from the participating forecourts.
Elsewhere in the division fuel thefts have increased by 17%.
PC Martin Bamford said 'We are very happy with the success of the initiative
so far and are hoping to extend the initiative Fife wide. We realise that
fuel thefts are not just restricted to garage forecourts and that other
businesses and members of the public are being targeted too.'
BOSS Co-ordinator for Scotland, Jim Anderson, said: 'Crime on Britain’s
forecourts is a serious issue. It damages business and can affect local
communities. The success of the Dunfermline initiative illustrates
that the efforts of the industry to work in partnership with police forces are
making an impact and helping to ensure that service stations remain safe
places for customers and staff.'
