POLICE TEXT FUEL THIEVES
Police trial SMS program to curb high rate of fuel drive-off crime
TOOWOOMBA police have welcomed a trial program they hope will reduce the time spent investigating a common crime across the district.
The Queensland Police Service will send SMS and email alerts to motorists who drive off from service stations without paying for fuel.
The program has been hailed as a proactive way to reduce the time frontline officers spend investigating the common offence, with 42 instances reported to Toowoomba police last month alone.
“The reporting and investigation of these offences does take up considerable police resources and time,” Senior Sergeant Tony Neumann said.
PEOPLE who drive off from service stations without paying for fuel will be given one chance to pay up under a new SMS trial program to be rolled out across the state.
Police will trial sending text messages and emails to registered owners of vehicles caught driving away from petrol stations without paying the bill, in what is hoped will reduce the impost on frontline officers investigating the common offence.
Toowoomba police Officerin-Charge Senior Sergeant Tony Neumann said 42 drive-off offences had been reported in September alone.
“This number of reported offences is consistent with other months of the year,” he said.
“Already, six of those matters have been withdrawn after police have conducted preliminary investigations.
“The reporting and investigation of these offences does take up considerable police resources and time so we are very keen to see the results of the one month SMS and e-mail trial.”
Organisational Capability Command Acting Superintendent Sharee Cumming said people leaving service stations and failing to pay for fuel was a significant concern for police.
“The trial is designed to encourage people involved in a fuel drive-off, either inadvertently or on purpose, to pay for their fuel which will reduce the need of our frontline officers to commence investigations, into these type of matters, in the first instance,” she said.
The QPS will identify itself in messages issued, which will also include the vehicle registration number, the date and time of the incident, and a prompt for the recipient to contact the service station.
The messages will not include attachments or hyperlinks, and will not ask the recipient to provide personal information such as PayPal or bank account details.
SMS recipients who weren’t driving the vehicle will need to contact the correct person and ask them to finalise payment to avoid fines and potential prosecution. Recipients whose vehicles were stolen, who no longer own the vehicle or remember the service station should contact police.