Car owners can take steps to keep the fuel in their vehicles’ tanks. This follows several incidents that have been reported across South Africa in recent weeks involving attempts to steal fuel by drilling into a petrol tank or siphoning it out of the tank.
“The price of petrol has now jumped to a level never seen before in South Africa,” said Wahl Bartmann, CEO of the Fidelity Services Group. “Fuel has become a very valuable commodity and unscrupulous characters will seemingly leave no stone unturned to steal someone else’s petrol.”
Drivers and car owners can make basic changes to their behaviour to try and limit the chance of their cars falling prey to this new criminal trend.
“If you are fortunate enough to have access to your own off-street or secure parking you should always make use of it and the protection it offers,” Bartmann said. “Putting your car out of sight or behind a locked door can make it less attractive to any would-be fuel thief. Make sure, please, that your garage has an alarm that picks up unauthorised movement and test the gates and locks.”
Not everyone has access to their own secure parking though.
“In cases where you park in the street or a public garage, try and park as close to an area where there is lighting and regular foot traffic. If you use the street, we suggest you try and park as close to your home as possible. You can also park in such a way that your fuel cap is pointed into the street and not hidden from view. We also advise against leaving your car standing in one spot for an extended period. Please never leave valuable items in a parked car.”
Bartmann says motorists should also speak to their armed-response company to see what protective measures they can recommend. Vehicle tracking systems such as Fidelity’s Secure Drive can alert one to any unauthorised vehicle movement caused, for example, by someone tampering with one’s fuel tank.
Vigilance and alertness, he added, remain important in any effort to combat crime. “If you see anyone loitering around parked cars in your street please alert your security company or the police. We can make an enormous difference to the crime situation in South Africa by paying attention to what happens around us and speaking up when anything seems amiss.”
