Forecourt crime jumps 43% in third quarter, research shows

The latest Forecourt Crime Index from the British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS), based on the three months following the easing on the spring lockdown restrictions, saw the BOSSIndex reach 145.

The figures show the total number of forecourt crimes increased by 41%, after incidents halving during the second quarter. However, the third quarter index is still 15% lower than in the same period in 2019.

The average number of incidents per site rose by 42% to 10.3, while the average litres of fuel taken per incident eased 0.4%, slightly down on the previous quarter. However, as the price of fuel increased, the average cost per incident increased by 3.9% to £55.21 in the third quarter.

Kevin Eastwood, BOSS executive director, said: “Forecourt crime rose steeply as soon as the economy began to recover in the summer. Reports are showing that motorists involved in incidents are increasingly claiming to have No Means of Payment, with fewer reports of driving off from the pump without entering a store.

“During the second lockdown period drive off incidents have again fallen, this time by around one third, while the volume of no means of payment show no sign of decreasing. The use of cloned plates, while still very low, has seen an upward trend.

“Again we’d strongly recommend that forecourt staff remain vigilant and on the lookout for suspicious behaviour,” Eastwood added.