High prices at the pumps are prompting some drivers to pilfer petrol with increasing frequency, police are reporting.

The brazen thefts have targetted not only gas stations but unattended vehicles, their tanks likely drained with flexible plastic siphons in the dead of night.

“I think the increase (in thefts) is definitely because of (higher prices),” said OPP Sp. Const. Wanda Peirce. “There has always been a few around, but it is definitely on a bit of a rise right now.”

The local detachment has fielded numerous calls concerning fuel theft, the majority from service stations that have fallen victim to the so-called “gas and dash.”

“The ones we get are your average fill ups, where people drive away after filling up,” she added.

Gas station attendant Kathy Johnston was duped by a driver who, after filling the tank of his pickup truck with $60 worth of fuel, claimed to have left home without his wallet.

He offered what he purported to be his street address and phone number, promising to return with the cash.

It was the last she would see of him.

“I trusted him, he looked honest,” she said.

Johnston had written down the man’s license plate number, but that, too, proved to be phony.

“It know it’s rough times for people,” she said. “But I felt ripped off, degraded.

“The boss was good – I didn’t have to pay for it,” she added.

“But for all that guy knew, it could have been coming out of my pocket.”

Incidents of fuel theft have grown with the rise in gas prices, said Young Kong, owner of a

Pioneer gas bar at the intersection of West Street and Fittons Road.

“People used to be honest,” she said yesterday. “It is kind of sad.”

The local station employs surveillance cameras to capture the plate numbers of drivers who dare to dash without paying.

“Before, we just wanted our money back, but now the police say you have to charge them,” she added. “People are upset by the price, but (fuel theft) doesn’t hurt the gas company, it hurts (the station).”

An employee at an area Sunoco station confirmed that it, too, had been the victim of fuel thefts, but said staff were told not to discuss the issue.

“It has happened, but I’m not allowed to talk about it,” they said.

Vic Rajkumar, a staffer at the Canadian Tire gas bar, said the local station has reported just one theft in the past three months.

“Whenever someone pulls up (to the pumps), there is always something watching,” he said.

Fuel theft is a provincewide problem, police say.

In western Ontario, thieves made off with $80,000 in diesel on a recent July weekend.

“It is definitely out there,” Peirce added.

Police are offering a range of measures drivers and businesses alike can use to protect against theft.

“Invest in a gas-cap lock,” suggests Peirce. “Park in an area where there is a lot of foot traffic, so it is not off by itself out there. Obviously, don’t leave the car open with the keys in the ignition.”

Parking in a locked garage is helpful, she said.

Service stations are encouraged to install security cameras, while farms and other businesses with fuel-storage facilities are advised to secure their pumps with heavy-duty locks.

Lighting and security cameras are also recommended.

Peirce noted that some local residents have had full jerry cans – commonly used to store lawnmower fuel – stolen from their front lawns.

“Make sure they are out of sight,” she added. “They are tempting to have them out there.”

Whether local service stations adopt a policy common south of the border remains to be seen.
In many areas of the United States, drivers must prepay before pumping.

“I think you are going to see that happening here, too,” Johnston added.