Police in Caerphilly town have responded to a spate of recent fuel thefts by launching an operation targeting thieves.
Gwent Police has said that between September 1 2012 and March 2 this year, there were 19 fuel thefts across the four wards of Caerphilly (Aber Valley, Morgan Jones, Penyrheol and St Martins) – totalling a loss of £1,236.68 to businesses.
From January to March alone, there have been 11 incidents of making off without payment in the Caerphilly town area – costing of £703.66.
In 15 of the incidents, false or stolen plates were used.
Marked police cars fitted with recording equipment are now being parked alongside forecourts to deter would-be thieves from stealing fuel. The force has said it will also be using Automatic Number Plate Recognition to spot fake plates on cars.
Garages who have been a victim of petrol thefts have been spoken to and are currently updating their CCTV on their forecourts. Forecourt staff will now also ask people to remove caps, hats and hoods as they fill up.
Caerphilly Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Gareth Jones said: “We want to send a message out to these offenders that we take fuel thefts very seriously. As well as being an illegal and potentially dangerous activity, theft of fuel can be extremely costly and an inconvenience to both motorists and businesses.
“This latest operation aimed to both catch anyone involved in fuel theft and to raise awareness of the implications of this crime. The marked police car is just one of a number of resources we use to help us identify offenders and we will continue to run operations such as this to put a stop to this type of criminality.”