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Forecourt Crime Scheme Hailed A Success
Date: 26/2/07
Author:
Source: West Yorkshire Police Web Site
A scheme running in the Wakefield District to tackle non-payment at petrol stations has seen a large reduction in reported crime.
The Forecourt Crime Initiative has seen a drop in the number of cars making off without paying from 62 for the month of October 2004 when the scheme was set up to 22 for January 2007.
The scheme involves having a dedicated Forecourt Crime Officer PC Brian Taylor as a single point for the whole District.
It has created a network of members who can alert the police straightaway to pass on details of vehicles that drive off without payment. These are recorded on a database, and a special pager system alerts all other members of the scheme. CCTV is also used to assist police in following up on incidents.
In some circumstances, people don't drive off, but claim to have forgotten their money and leave false contact details before leaving.
PC Brian Taylor has also introduced official "inability to pay" forms on which people claiming to have forgotten their money have to give their details and agree to pay up in seven days.
The forms feature the West Yorkshire Police logo and remind those completing them that giving false details to evade payment is an offence. Non-payers are also photographed at the petrol forecourt and have to leave their thumbprint on the form. If payment is not received within seven days, the form is passed on to the police who treat the incidents as theft.
He regularly attends meetings with the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) and garages within the District to exchange information and update on the progress of the scheme.
Training sessions have been organised for staff and management working in garages on what they should do and what they should look out for to prevent cars from making off without paying.
PC Brian Taylor said: "I share information with South Yorkshire Police on a regular basis and recently two people were brought before the courts after a series of offences committed at Forecourts.
"Where CCTV has been installed at garages, we are able to trace the offending vehicle through our Automatic Number Plate Recognition system (ANPR) and we can subsequently get a conviction on the driver.
"The scheme has been highlighted as an example of good practice and I am in the process of speaking to other Forces about the benefits."
BOSS executive director Kevin Eastwood said "We're delighted with the success of this Forecourt Watch scheme which is testament to the hard work of everyone involved.
"We work with police authorities all across the UK but this particular two year partnership has produced some excellent results.
"Drive Offs and No Means of Payment incidents cost the UK petrol industry more than £26 million every year. By building successful partnerships with local police, petrol retailers and other agencies in delivering initiatives like Forecourt Watch, we can significantly deter and prevent the level of these crimes on petrol forecourts."
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