An unwelcome trend

xBy Dale H Mader

This issue includes several stories relating to a growing reality faced by convenience store operators, service stations and automotive repair facilities in Atlantic Canada. Until fairly recently, we in these parts did not experience the kind of criminal activity that has plagued other larger population centres throughout North America.

That has changed and today gasoline theft by drive-offs is becoming a troublesome reality that must be dealt with. I can remember a time when there was no such thing as a drive-off gas theft.

That was before the oil companies introduced self-service. We didn’t have the problem when everything was full service. Now, as prices rise so does the incidence of drive-offs. People get angry at the high prices and since they can’t punish OPEC or the multi-national oil giants, they punish the innocent retailer.

According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), in 2004 gasoline theft cost the industry an estimated $237 million, with the average loss per store pegged at $2,141. That was in 2004. The rapid rise in gasoline prices since then would drive that theft cost figure up much higher.
Gas thieves have come up with some new tricks.

In the early days of gas theft, thieves slid tubes into gas tanks, sucked on the other end to start the gas draining and cleaned out the tank. A thief could make off with an entire tank of gas or wind up with a mouth full of high octane.

Now, it seems, they simply steal a license plate, tack it onto the rear of their car, fill up at a self-serve pump at a busy time, and simply drive away.

Our Terry Waterfield takes a closer look at this growing phenomenon here in Atlantic Canada and looks at some of the ways businesses can make their outlets less attractive to the “pump and runs.” Our Senior Contributing Editor John Cannell has seen it all during a lifetime of involvement in Atlantic Canada’s automotive industry, and he has lots to say about the problem of criminal behaviour faced by just about anyone involved in the industry, and how best to deal with it.

Dale H Mader
Managing Editor

You can contact Dale here.