Fuel theft in the UK

A staggering £2,099,518 worth of fuel was recorded as stolen across the UK in 2015. The data, obtained by Certas Energy under the Freedom of Information Act*, reveals that
19,755 commercial fuel thefts were recorded across the year, compared to 9,429 recorded domestic fuel thefts.
The total recorded value for commercial fuel theft, including reported thefts from petrol stations, was £1,469,354.13.
Greater Manchester had the highest number of commercial fuel thefts, with a total of 3,804 reported in 2015. South Yorkshire was the second highest, with 2,382 recorded crimes and Hertfordshire took third place with 1,705.
As well as being the second highest for commercial fuel theft, South Yorkshire was the area with the most domestic fuel theft, with 2,368 recorded thefts. Dyfed-Powys police had the second highest rate of domestic theft, with 1,683 recorded instances. South Wales was the third highest, with 1,207 recorded thefts. The total recorded value for domestic fuel theft was £630,163.93.

Fuel theft hotspots by recorded instances

Commercial Fuel Theft Hotspots	Total Recorded Instances	Domestic Fuel Theft Hotspots	Total Recorded Instances
Greater Manchester	3,804	South Yorkshire	2,368
South Yorkshire	2,382	Dyfed-Powys	1,683
Hertfordshire	1,705	Wales South	1,207
West Mercia	1,550	Staffordshire	1,197
Avon and Somerset	1,167	Humberside	891

Fuel theft hotspots by highest recorded value

Commercial Fuel Theft Hotspots	Total Recorded Value	Domestic Fuel Theft Hotspots	Total Recorded Value
Greater Manchester	£265,044.31	West Yorkshire	£276,443.82
West Mercia	£247288.11	Humberside	£137,123.48
Lincolnshire	£118,585	Norfolk	£32,043.02
Derbyshire	£112,312.49	Avon and Somerset	£29,302.07
Hertfordshire	£108,061.73	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough	£28,872.44

“Although £2 million is a shocking number, not all police forces held or recorded the total value of oil theft, meaning this could be the tip of the iceberg for oil theft,” said Angus Blundell, director of marketing at Certas Energy.
“Whether the theft is bilking from a petrol forecourt, or draining heating oil from domestic oil tanks, it is important that these crimes are seen as severe as burglary.”
*Freedom of Information data was requested from all regional police forces in the UK, requesting the total number of domestic and commercials reported to or attended by, including the type of fuel stolen and the value of the theft. Of the 37 police forces contacted, 11 were unable to provide the data.
www.certasenergy.co.uk