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INCIDENT ALERT |
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| INCIDENT TIME: |
Out of hours weekday |
DATE: |
01/11/2012 |
| COUNTY: |
Essex |
LOCATION: |
Rural |
| INCIDENT No: |
00011
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Gas Oil Theft
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| INCIDENT DETAILS |
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In the early hours of the morning suspects cut the padlock off the gates and entered the Landfill site in a white, Leyland Daf 7.5T lorry filled with eight (8) IBC’s (1000L, Bulk liquid carriers). They parked adjacent to the site 25,000L Gas Oil tank.
The Suspects removed the metal screwed bung from the top of the fuel tank and inserted one end of a length of Poly Pipe. This pipe was connected to a petrol powered diesel pump then a second length of pipe was run to the IBC tanks. The Gas Oil was then pumped from the tank to the lorry using the diesel pump.
Unbeknown to the suspects their every move was being monitored by the site Monitored CCTV.
Police were alerted and on their arrival the suspects decamped from the scene leaving the lorry and pump behind.
Forensic enquires are still being undertaken by the police to identify the suspects.
A number of similar offences have been reported in the Midlands and North involving Ford Transit and Luton Transit vans, IBC’s and fuel pumps.
It is well known that whenever the price of a commodity goes up; thieves very quickly respond by targeting it. Gas oil is no exception.
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| POLICE REACTION |
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Police reacted quickly to the information passed to them by the CCTV Monitoring company. This quick response resulted in police presence at site before the suspects could make off with the fuel.
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| HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPLICATIONS |
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No H&S implications.
Environmental issue; a small quantity of fuel was spilt before police could turn off the pump.
The issue is one of loss through theft.
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| LEARNING POINTS |
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1. Site Managers need to contact their Community Police Officers, explain the recent rise in fuel thefts and ask that Night Duty and Weekend Patrol officers pay particular attention to their sites.
2. Site Managers need to explain to their Community Police Officers the MO employed by the thieves, including the Ford Transit Vans, the IBCs and Fuel Pumps powered by batteries and petrol engines.
3. Request that any lorries or vans acting suspiciously in the vicinity of their sites be stopped and searched for such articles relating to these thefts. Any suspects could be arrested for ‘Going Equipped to Steal’ if there is sufficient evidence.
4. Site Managers need to brief staff on site, industry partners, contractors, farmers and neighbours of the current trend and method of theft and ask them to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
5. Access gates that are no longer in use shall be bunded immediately with TWO soil bunds. In the past thieves have taken the trouble of hand shovelling a single bund.(See photo below)
6. Wherever possible, all approach roads need to be blocked at night with concrete blocks to prevent the vans getting close enough to the tanks to steal the diesel.
7. Bridleways and footpaths should have permanent width restriction, using concrete or stone blocks, to prevent vehicle access.
8. Sites with higher risk may require a CCTV option to be deployed, but for a one off fuel theft this is not a proportional response nor is it cost effective.
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