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The British Oil Security Syndicate’s latest Forecourt Crime Index, which is based on no means of payment incident reports that are made to BOSS Payment Watch, increased to 141.
The average number of incidents per site increased 31% to 10.0, however, the average litres of fuel taken per incident declined 3.5% to 51.0.
The average price of fuel increased by 4% during the first half of the year to 121.8 pence per litre, but the average value of each no means of payment incident only rose 0.5% to £62.16 per incident.
During the first quarter of 2021 there was a 38% increase in the number of drive-off incidents, with each incident averaging 31.4 litres. The average value of each drive-off incident was £38.19.
Kevin Eastwood, BOSS executive director, said: “The latest results reinforce the see-saw nature of fuel crime, but significantly for the first time during a lockdown period we have seen fuel crime increase. What’s clear is a radical shift in both the size and the type of fuel crime taking place. Gone are the days when drive-off incidents dominated fuel crime on the forecourt. Losses from no means of payment incidents are greater than the cost of drive-off incidents.
“As fuel sales make a recovery to pre-pandemic levels and the economy recovers, car use is continuing to grow. Forecourt operators would do well to take note of the changing nature of crime and return to basics to tackle a problem that could balloon over the summer months as staycations bring more travelers onto our roads. Forecourts should focus their efforts on managing motorists claiming to have no means to pay for fuel in order to reduce potential losses.”
