Bowser thefts linked to stolen plates

AUSTRALIA – The huge surge in “drive-off” fuel theft, triggered by skyrocketing petrol prices, is being linked to the underground trade in stolen registration plates in Sydney, which has risen at the same rate as bowser larcenies.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures show petrol thefts, or service station fraud, has increased by 33 per cent since mid-2004, from 9163 incidents to more than 12,900.

In the same period, the number of number plate thefts rose by a third.

A bureau study published last September found a “high correlation” between drive-offs and stolen plates.

Every 10-cent increase in the price at the bowser triggered another 120 fuel thefts a month in Sydney, the bureau found.

Sydney Morning Herald