Fuel Theft Is No Longer A Crime....

[mushroom25]

...... but a civil matter for the retailer to pursue
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-police-force-tell-garage-owner-won-t/story-26590711-detail/story.html

what's next - shoplifting? burglary?

[Svejk]

Ah, but it's alright, mushroom, because 'the changes were to ensure the force provided the "best service possible" to the public'.
Go and fill the car up if you live in Devon.

[ToraToraTora]

theft is a crime, end of. This is just symptomitic of what has become of the police.

[Orderlimit]

I think most forces adopted this policy several years ago as most reported make-off's are genuine mistakes and the police just get used as a free debt collection agency. If there is evidence of dishonesty then the police have to record it as a crime as opposed to a civil matter.

[jno]

insist on prepayment, then?

[Broseph]

/Fuel Theft Is No Longer A Crime/

Isn't it obvious? The reason it's no longer a crime is simply because the Mp's want to be able to buy fuel on their expenses and not be lambasted by joe public for mass thievery.

[jno]

nothing to do with MPs. Theft is still on the statute books. But the police are refusing to investigate.

[furrypusscat]

Well, that's an open invitation. No different to going into M&S or any other store and taking home a weekly shop and the excuse would be, sorry I didn't intend taking it, it was a lapse of memory. Why do we pay part of our council tax to the Police?

[Svejk]

jno //insist on prepayment, then?//

Travellers have to prepay in Ireland (some garages I know of)

[EDDIE51]

Credit and debit card fraud is not a crime either. The police say card fraud is a matter for the banks and will not even give a crime number if your card is 'cloned'. There has just been a spate of it near me, it is thought that a local branch of Tesco had a clone device attatched to it's cash point machine.

[Broseph]

jno
nothing to do with MPs. Theft is still on the statute books. But the police are refusing to investigate.

I disagree and say it has everything to do with those sneaky warmonging thieves if you open your eyes a smell the java

[sandyRoe]

^ Here in NI that's generally the work of Eastern Europeans. ^ You wouldn't think people coming from such an impoverished background would have the necessary technical skills.

[EDDIE51]

Several garages near here are 'prepay only'. All the ones that are open 24 hours are prepay only at night.

[Orderlimit]

Yes Eddie, banks have their own Home Office recognised investigators and police liaison staff who deal with bank / card fraud. It's a better system for many reasons and it appears to have made banks more accountable for improving their own security.

[TWR]

As said, a notice above the pump, " PrePay Service Only" this will sort the problem.

[mikey4444]

Another example of the Tory cuts making Britain better it would seem then Mush ?

Don't blame me...I voted Labour !

[jno]

it's the democratisation of crime, mikey. Under the Tories, anyone with a car is entitled to free fuel. I'm surprised Cameron didn't make this an election pledge.

[mikey4444]

When I was in Las Vegas years ago, all the petrols stations would only serve you if you gave them your credit card first. But it would cause huge problems if we adopted that method here. Its bad enough on a Sunday morning in my local Tesco as it is.

The garage owner should just keep complaining and taking his complaints higher and higher until the Police accept that they have a job to do, and that they need to get on with it and stop whinging ! He should try writing to dave in Number Ten....he can deal with it when he returns from his European Tour.

[Orderlimit]

This particular problem between police & fuel stations started years ago while labour were in office mikey.

[Old_Geezer]

That happened to me once in Britain, Mikey. Complied but never went back to that filling station again. Tantamount to calling me untrustworthy, a thief even !

[youngmafbog]

oooo, how dare you critise the hallowed labour party !!

Plod have lost the plot. Nothing to do with cuts by any Government. They want to show their figures are low so only want to record crime they can easily solve like Motorists.