The Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex has expressed “concern” that forecourt operators may be being given “incorrect or misleading” information when reporting drive-offs.
The comments follow a complaint raised by Pircewatch’s general manager, Tom Buckley, after he reported a drive-off to Sussex Police only to be incorrectly told by the force that the incident was a civil, not criminal matter.
As well as submitting a formal complaint to Sussex Police, Buckley contacted the force’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Katy Bourne. This resulted in a phone call with the PCC’s chief executive, Mark Streater, who shared Buckley’s frustration about how his report of a drive-off was handled. PCCs are elected officials responsible for overseeing local policing.
Streater subsequently wrote than Bourne considers it is “important to ensure that where a crime has been committed that this is properly managed”.
The chief exec also said that while the PCC could not directly investigate the incident or its handling by Sussex Police, it can review Buckley’s complaint if he is not satisfied with the outcome.
Streater adds that the “PCC can enquire into the policy that Sussex Police have adopted in respect of managing reports of bilking and related theft”.
Buckley says that he was pleased with how the PCC responded, but questions the impact it will have. “I was genuinely impressed by the call and the way they explained how they intend to deal with my complaint. They listened, took it seriously, and outlined a clear plan,” he says.
”That said, I recognise this as a huge challenge for the police, and the real test will be whether meaningful change actually follows,” he adds.
This episode is one of two recent incidents where forecourt operators have complained that police are not investigating drive-offs, which are criminal matters. No means of payment incidents, where motorists enter a forecourt shop and either fail to declare they have drawn fuel, or claim they cannot pay for it, are civil issues.
An investigation published by Forecourt Trader earlier in the year found that while police often correctly identified drive-offs as crimes, they do not conduct meaningful investigations in the vast majority of cases.
Sussex Police has been contacted regarding the outcome of the complaint.
