Geelong-based service station chain Apco is losing around $1000-a-month to petrol theft, as the rising cost of living pushes motorists to breaking point.
New data reveals more than $21m worth of fuel is stolen from petrol stations across Victoria every year, with a 24 per cent jump since March 2021.
Nationally, service station operators lose around $85m in revenue to petrol theft with almost one third of those crimes committed in Victoria, according to a report in News Corp papers.
Mark McKenzie, CEO of the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association, said the true numbers were likely higher due to under-reporting.
“The industry is increasingly using technology enabled systems to identify offenders and prevent them from refuelling at other sites via the sharing of the number plates of vehicles involved in fuel theft,” he told the Herald Sun.
The City of Casey, in Melbourne’s east, had the highest number of cases with 258 in the past year.
Melton was second with 224 reported drive-offs, closely followed by Whittlesea with 223.
Apco owner Robert Anderson said his business had lost close to $10,000 across its 28 locations this year, and the problem is getting worse.
“Criminals are laughing at us as they drive out with our fuel to commit even more crime,” he told the newspaper.
He said over-stretched police do not have sufficient resources to follow up fuel thefts, which are often left “in the too hard basket.”
