Forecourt fuel crime is continuing to grow, albeit at a slower pace, new research reveals.
The latest Forecourt Crime Index from the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) shows that the volume of forecourt fuel crime reported during the third quarter increased by 9%.
The BOSS Forecourt Crime Index increased to 185 during the three months to 30 September 2021 , from 170 in the previous quarter. The 9% quarterly increase was lower than the 20% growth reported during the second quarter of 2021.
The index covers reports of No Means of Payment and Drive Off incident reports that are made to BOSS Payment Watch, the specialist forecourt fuel loss recovery service, and during the third quarter no means of payment incident reports increased by 11.5% and drive-off incident growth fell to 7.5%.
The average number of incidents per site increased to 18.7 from 17.1 in the second quarter of 2021, but the average litres of fuel taken per incident increased 20.5% to 56.3 litres.
Kevin Eastwood, BOSS executive director, said: “Motorists claiming to have No Means of Payment is the biggest challenge facing forecourt operators and accounts for more than two thirds of all forecourt fuel crime by value. Fuel crime can cost an average forecourt outlet more than £10,000 in lost revenue every year.
“In the majority of cases motorists make a genuine mistake when they have no means to pay for fuel. We recommend that forecourt staff should follow well documented procedures, such as Payment Watch, so that motorist can return to pay either in person, via phone or online.”
