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With the price of fuel on the increase Fife Police have been running the initiative "Forecourt Watch" in the bid to help business beat the fuel thieves.
The Forecourt Watch initiative was piloted earlier this year in conjunction with British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) and petrol stations in the Dunfermline area. Forecourt Watch is pro-active and intelligence-led initiative that has had some astounding results so far. The initiative involves the garages sharing intelligence with each other about problematic customers. Security advice has also been given to the businesses in terms of how to make their fuel supply more secure and to reinforce the options that are available to staff when dealing with problematic customers.
Analysis taken from the period prior to the launch of the initiative compared to analysis after the launch has shown that since the initiative has been in operation, there has been a decrease of 35% in reported fuel thefts from the participating forecourts. Elsewhere in the division fuel thefts have increased by 17%.
PC Martin Bamford said "We are very happy with the success of the initiative so far and are hoping to extend the initiative Fife wide. We realise that fuel thefts are not just restricted to garage forecourts and that other businesses and members of the public are being targeted too." BOSS Co-ordinator for Scotland, Jim Anderson, said: "Crime on Britain's forecourts is a serious issue. It damages business and can affect local communities. The success of the Dunfermline initiative illustrates that the efforts of the industry to work in partnership with police forces are making an impact and helping to ensure that service stations remain safe places for customers and staff."
Free and impartial security advice is available from Fife Police's Community Safety Department on 0845 600 5702.
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