Fuel theft crackdown in Black Country to go nationwide
A crackdown on fuel thefts in the Black Country has proved so successful the scheme behind it looks set to be rolled out across the country.
Bosses at four petrol stations in Brierley Hill have seen the number of thefts from their forecourts drop by two thirds after joining a police-led operation in March.
Since the start of Forecourt Watch, which sees the stations share information on offenders and work closer with police, Asda, BP Snax, Jet and Shell only reported five thefts, compared to the same period last year when there were 15.
Now bosses at Asda are considering introducing the scheme across the country.
The operation was thought up by Brierley Hill police officer Wayne Trueman and is based on the Pub Watch schemes, where participant landlords ban known offenders from their pubs.
He said: "We were having a high number of fuel thefts from the four petrol stations which was becoming a problem for each of the businesses.
"I thought by the stations each logging and then passing the details of each offence to the next station they could work together to stop the thefts happening. We also agreed to have a larger presence on the forecourts.
"I'm glad to say, the initiative is working really well – it seems to be working as we're getting fewer fuel thefts from the stations."
Linda Elliman is a staff supervisor at the Asda petrol station, outside Merry Hill.
As well as joining the scheme, the petrol station has installed two CCTV cameras on the forecourt and a television in the kiosk to remind motorists they are being watched.
The station has more than 1,500 customers a day. She said: "It's wonderful now – we no longer face the constant worry of motorists driving away without fuel."
