By Laura Michell
Petrol thieves who fill up then flee at Hume service stations will be the focus of a new campaign to crackdown on fuel theft.
The We See You Too campaign, developed in partnership with police, petrol station operators and industry associations, will run over the next four weeks at petrol stations that have a high prevalence of fuel theft.
Service stations in Hume, Wyndham and Geelong will be targeted.
The campaign will see anti-theft messaging on fuel nozzles and digital displays at petrol stations, and will run across social media platforms, encouraging the community to report fuel thefts to Crime Stoppers.
It’s estimated that fuel theft costs retailers up to $20 million per year, with Victorian Police spending roughly 21,000 hours investigating the crime.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said the campaign, which will be run by Crime Stoppers, will send a strong message that fuel theft is a crime.
“We know that when fuel theft does occur, it’s costly for operators and impacts their livelihood. Anyone caught stealing fuel now has a higher chance of being reported to Crime Stoppers and can face up to 10-years in jail,” she said.
