A project to reduce the stealing of number plates may be behind the continued reduction of fuel thefts across the ACT, police have said.
![There have been 688 reported fuel thefts in the ACT this year, with Ginn Street in Gungahlin the worst hit.](/web/20161105035647im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/z/r/j/r/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grb61z.png/1474110001345.jpg)
"ACT Policing believes that the incorporation of proactive measures undertaken by petrol station operators in recent years has also contributed to this decrease."
There were 1237 reported fuel thefts last year, a 4 per cent decline from 2014 and 14 per cent down from 2013. There have been 688 thefts reported this year, which would deliver an end of year result of little more than 1000 if the monthly average continued.
Luxton Street in Belconnen, with 86 thefts, was the worst hit last year and has had 52 so far in 2016. A Woolworths Caltex petrol station is the only one on the street. Northside streets account for the four worst for thefts this year, with three in the Belconnen region.
Station Sergeant Craft said service station operators could assist the reduction in fuel theft by introducing prepaid fuel pumps or at least requiring "suspicious" people to enter the shop before a petrol pump is turned on, aiding identification.
High-quality CCTV camera coverage, including of the driveway, was also encouraged.
Suspicious signs that may indicate someone was planning to drive off without paying included cars without number plates or altered or poorly fixed plates, and cars where the engine is kept running or the driver remains in the driver seat while the passenger fills the tank, he said.
The Service Station Association has said drive-offs hurt business owners and honest consumers, costing the industry $55 million nationally last year.