The trade association BOSS (the British Oil Security Syndicate) is advising forecourt operators to be vigilant after it identified a 215 per cent rise in reports of No Means of Payment and Drive Off incidents. BOSS is advising forecourt operators to make sure that they retain accurate information about vehicles involved in driving away from a forecourt without paying for fuel, or motorists claiming to have no means of payment for fuel.
An interim analysis of unpaid fuel incidents during the first week of March has found that they are 215pc higher that the number of incidents reported during the first week of December 2021. The number of litres of unpaid fuel increased by 68pc during the same period. However, the average number of litres per incident fell from 55 litres in December to 41 litres in March.
BOSS has also received reports about some motorists using large containers to draw and store fuel. The use of non-certified containers is the trade body points out illegal and dangerous and should not be allowed. In one instance a small compact car was reported to have drawn 128 litres of petrol.
Claire Nichol, Managing Director at BOSS, said: “High fuel prices make not paying for fuel more attractive to criminals and we’ve seen the number reports about unpaid fuel increase significantly in recent weeks. The fall in litres-taken per incident suggests that motorists who deliberately evade paying for fuel are nervous about filling up completely as it might draw attention to their actions.
“We’d advise forecourt operators to be extra vigilant during peak periods. They should also retain any CCTV recordings and ensure that information about vehicles involved in either driving away from a forecourt without paying for fuel, or a motorist claiming to have no means of payment for fuel, is accurate.
“Should the number of incidents continue to rise, we could see the BOSS Forecourt Crime Index reach the highest level since records were introduced.”
Common warning signals when a vehicle is parked at a pump and a crime might be about to occur include:
Driver still at the wheel; passenger filling up
Open doors or open boot
Number plates hidden or appear altered
Lights of the vehicle still switched on
Vehicle parked facing away from the kiosk towards an exit
Customer trying to hide behind their own or another vehicle when filling up
Forecourt crime reduction guides that help forecourt retailers to reduce incidents and keep forecourts safe places to work and shop are available from BOSS. A free copy of the BOSS Drive-Off Prevention guide can be downloaded from the BOSS website at https://bossuk.org/guidance.
