Drive-off thieves target pumps

Petrol "drive-offs" are becoming so bad police are calling for those who rip service stations off to lose their licences.
Police are asking judges to suspend or disqualify licences on the grounds that "if you can't drive a car you don't need petrol".
If a vehicle is used while a crime is being committed the law gives judges the discretion to include a disqualification period in any penalty imposed.
In the Centrall North Island, petrol thefts are averaging 30 a week.
Senior Sergeant Bruce Jenkins, of the Whakatane police, said in cases of petrol "drive-offs" it had become common practice for police to ask for a driver's licence to be suspended as part of an offender's bail condition and for a disqualification period at sentencing.
"Petrol theft has has become an issue and a problem in Whakatane and we are upping the ante to deal with it," Mr Jenkins said.
"That's not to say we are pouring extra resources into combating petrol theft but using the tools available to us under the Sentencing Act."
Police prosecutors Adrian Hilterman and Pete Rankin said they could not recall a disqualification imposed in the Whakatane or Opotiki District Courts for the theft of petrol but agreed it would only be a matter of time before it was done.
Nelson District Court judge Tony Zohrab has already disqualified two offenders who stole petrol from service stations in Kaiteriteri and Hokitika.
Both had their licences disqualified for a month.
Mr Jenkins said police had consulted all local service station owners and strongly recommended they agree to using a pre-pay system.
"We have also suggested they increase their surveillance," Mr Jenkins said.
"Service stations do need to take some responsibility in preventing petrol theft occurring rather than relying on police to be a debt collection agency."
Whakatane petrol outlet staff told the Daily Post they were experiencing at least one drive-off each day. They blamed the spiralling cost of fuel.
Caltex Whakatane owner Ian McDonnell said he was putting up a forecourt fight in an attempt to curb the theft of the "liquid gold" currently selling in Whakatane for $1.83 per litre of premium petrol.
"At the worst period I was also enduring one drive off a day but things are getting better," Mr McDonnell said.
The latest addition to his Commerce St site includes a camera focusing on the pump that's most frequently stolen from.
"The pump is the furthermost from the cash register and the hardest one to police," Mr McDonnell said.
'It is also the pump closest to the road."
He said the camera was designed to focus on faces and registration plates and since it had been installed it had reduced the number of drive-offs.
"I think all these thieves have decided that this station is getting a little harder to leave unidentified from."
Staff from other Whakatane stations agreed offenders were becoming more cunning in their methods of petrol theft.
Fake registration plates were commonly used so the vehicle could not be traced back to its legal owner. The plates were removed once the crime had been committed.
One station reported a child covering the face of the forecourt camera while the driver filled the car, drove out of camera range and waited for the child to get back into the vehicle.
Another trick involved the use of pre-pay service stations. When staff were not busy programming the dollar amount into the pump worked effectively but if the attendants were busy, people were throwing $10 on the counter before filling their car and driving off.
Whakatane police were successful in catching the thieves and were looking for two offenders identified on camera.
"These people can expect a knock on the door from us soon," Mr Jenkins said.