APCO backs wanted posters over pre-paid servos push thieves fuel reward system

Jessica Benton
Rewards for identifying petrol thieves are a better way to fight service station “drive-offs” than forcing customers to pay before filling up, according to the region’s biggest independent fuel retailer.
APCO backed the rewards strategy after Victoria Police called for more stations to roll-out pre-pay systems amid new statistics identifying Geelong as a hot-spot for petrol theft.
The police statistics ranked Geelong 13th in the state, with 156 thefts of petrol from service stations in the past financial year. Surf Coast was 60th with six thefts, while Melbourne’s City of Casey was number one on 468.
Across the state, motorists drove away from service stations without paying 5600 times for the year.
APCO’s Peter Anderson said his company introduced the reward system to combat petrol theft at its service station on North Geelong’s Thompson Road.
“We have a $100 reward system and photos of anyone who leaves the station without paying are displayed,” he said.
“People can then phone in anonymously if they recognise someone in the photo and we’ll reward them with $100 if the police catch the culprit.
“We’ve been doing it for a couple of years now and I’ll keep doing it if it’s going to deter the problem. We’ve been working closely with the police and we think this is helping.”
Mr Anderson said he had personally contacted suspected fuel thieves a “couple of times”.
They returned to the station to pay for the stolen petrol “straight away”, he said.
Mr Anderson was “not keen” on the pre-pay system.
“It inconveniences customers and we’re very reluctant about the process,” he said.
Managers at APCO’s North Geelong and Barwon Heads stations backed their boss.
Barwon Heads operator Gary Martin feared a pre-pay system would cost sales.
“If you introduce a prepaid system then you lose the opportunity for impulse buys and customers might miss some advertising specials, which is an important part of our business,” he said.
“It’s very rare that we get petrol theft and we haven’t used the reward system but there’s no doubt it would have an effect. Plastering a photo out the front of a small community store is sure to grab someone’s attention and make you think twice about stealing.”
North Geelong station manager Timothy Mahoney called the reward system a “worthy deterrent”.
The system worked immediately after its introduction to reduce thefts “straight away”, he said.
Victoria Police safer communities unit Inspector Jill Wood urged service station operators to consider introducing hours when customers had to pre-pay for petrol.
The system was working at stations with pre-pay hours but many had yet to adopt the initiative, she said.
“A lot of petrol stations are being pro-active about petrol theft and have adopted prepaid petrol hours during times when they experience the greatest number of thefts.”
Insp Wood said security cameras were often ineffective because many fuel thieves also had stolen numberplates on their vehicles.