Top cop calls for major change to Australian petrol stations as fuel thefts surge amid price spike
The state’s highest cop said police will not investigate them, putting the onus on service station owners in order to stop service stations from being driven-offs and services station drivers have rocketed into South Australia.
“With the cost-of-living pressures that people are dealing with, the significant increases in fuel costs, we will see more petrol drive-offs in the weeks to come,” said Commissioner Grant Stevens in remarks reported by 7News.
State’s drive-offs have reportedly increased 36 per cent – from 162 to 221 in just one week amid surging fuel prices.
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Complaint Stevens, who has referred to the “ball’s in the court of the retail fuel industry”, said retailers have asked retailers to install pre-paid pumps like those used in US.
They typically ask for you to swipe or insert a card, and they’re only charged for the fuel delivered.
The Commissioner said that fuel thefts linked to more serious crimes would continue to be investigated, but retailers would have to pay for “completely preventable” drive-offs.
“If the industry won’t act, then I will be making decisions that will see the prioritisation of police resources to where they need to be spent and not being wasted on investigating or processing reports of crime that do not need to occur,” said Commissioner Stevens in remarks reported by News.com.au.
A “the analogy” would be if you keep leaving your TV outside your house on the front verandah and it is being stolen, there will be an end in time when we’re not taking that report anymore because you can stop that from happening.
While it is impossible for retail fuel companies to take these steps, I can’t force the industry into doing so; what I do is manage how police handle these offences. In investigations we should not have to do a , whichbogs us down. Paraphrast.
The Commissioner has argued that it’s not the first time they’ve called for the introduction of pre-paid pumps, saying in July 2024 that fuel thefts could be stopped overnight with their introduction but South Australia Police had been fighting unsuccessfully for this with service stations for more than a decade.
But the Motor Trade Association has argued the Commissioner’s remarks could help encourage fuel thieves.
It’s not a matter of us, we don’t want that messaging to be out to people saying ‘I can do this and get away with it because it won’T be investigated. And that’s a problem,’ CEO Darrell Jacobs said.
Why has fuel prices increased not because it was interrupted by supply into Australia, but due to a higher domestic demand (at least in part) caused by panic buying? Similarly the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has called out fuel retailers for unexpectedly high prices surged in an unannounced early start to petrol prices.
The consumer watchdog, which surveyed the five largest cities in Australia, said daily average retail prices on March 11 were 219 per cent across the country’s five biggest cities. litre, up 48 cents per liter, 7 cent. Until February 20, 8cpl for s. Nevertheless since then, fuel prices have increased significantly and some service stations even ran out of fuel.
A BP station in 2023
ACCC today announced it has launched an enforcement investigation into allegations of anti-competitive conduct by Ampol Ltd, BP Australia Pty Ltd and Mobil Oil AustraliaPTy LTD and Viva Energy Australia TtY Ltd.
This follows reports concerning diesel availability to independent wholesalers and distributors servicing regional and rural areas in Australia.
We have heard of reports that the ACCC is closely monitoring all fuel markets during this period, and we are also concerned about alleged anti-competitive behaviour. We are therefore investigating these issues urgently,’ ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement.
While we do not publicly announce investigations, despite the importance of this enforcement investigation, the ACCC is confirming that it has been an official inquiry. Our recognition of the widespread concerns among consumers, businesses and farmers about fuel prices and supply issues that have been a part of this Middle Eastern conflict is well-known. ” , ‘I’m sure it is worth reading.
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