GAS Bream Bay manager Balbinder 'Barry' Singh chooses to stay positive rather than let petrol thefts take the enjoyment from the job. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Abuse and deceit are typical experiences for Northland service station workers as they endure the persistent problem of petrol thefts.
Police say service station drive-offs are a nationwide dilemma. But anecdotally in Northland, officers receive more than a dozen reports a week about petrol theft in wider Whangārei and Kaipara.
Staff from around 30 petrol stations across Northland spoke to the Advocate, most under anonymity, about their experiences dealing with the constant headache that was petrol theft.
Service stations along State Highway 1 fell foul to the crime more often than their counterparts in tight-knit communities such as Broadwood, Ahipara, Waipū, Russell, Parua Bay and Maungatūroto.
Unfortunately, GAS Maungatapere staff dealt with petrol drive-offs three to four times a week.
"A lot of the time the cars are stolen," an employee said. "Or a lot of them just don't care."
She said one woman stole petrol five times but was hard to nab as she "changed her identity" each time.
When staff spotted a repeat offender they would refuse to release the pump unless the person paid first.
"They get really aggressive, saying we're ripping them off even though we know they're going to steal the gas," the staff member said.
"They're just thinking of themselves. My boss owns her business and she gives a lot to the community. When stuff like this happens it comes out of her own pocket."
Another worker in the Far North said petrol thefts at her station, near Kaitaia, were "deliberate" and "nasty".
"They have all sorts of tricks."
Six weeks ago, security footage showed a person parked at the station watching and waiting for a new staff member to start their after school shift.
When the female worker did, the man went into the shop and convinced her he was able to pay to for a full tank of fuel - she trusted him.
After the man filled the tank, he trailed the worker towards the store as if to pay the $160 balance.
But then quickly spun around and made a getaway in his vehicle.
"It's really horrible when you know they've done it on purpose," the woman said.
A few days later, the same man again stole $160 worth of fuel – hiding his face and using a different vehicle to dupe workers.
"They also patch up number plates – not cover them completely but enough that it's difficult to record them. That's when I get really angry," the woman said.
People would often make empty attempts to pay because they knew they would dodge a charge if picked up by police as the station fills out an unable to pay form, despite the person never intending to front the money, the woman said.
"You think you're being kind to people but they're just trying to pull the wool over your eyes. It's really difficult when someone is being genuine but, unfortunately, we can't trust anyone."
Her station experienced "spates" of petrol thefts and had resorted to putting pumps on pre-pay in a bid to stem their losses.
"But our regular customers get mad at us when we don't realise it's them and release the pumps straight away. It's really hard to recognise people at the moment with masks."
Pre-pay also became tricky when people wanted to fill their tanks as the cost was unknown.
The tactic is one employed by nearly every service station in Northland to prevent fuel drive-offs.
A Whangārei service station worker said everyday petrol thefts, costing about $70 each time, had dropped to once or twice a week since their pumps went pre-pay.
It was the same with GAS Russell, where the problem dissolved with the change to pre-pay.
Northland's Z service stations were kitted out with crime prevention measures – such as smoke cannons, licence plate recognition software, and extensive digital CCTV network.
And Z senior communications adviser Jeremy Clarke said the company continued to explore new measures to further reduce petrol thefts – which in 2016 cost Z around $1.5 million annually.
In Kāeo, the owners of BP resorted to pre-pay before last year's lockdown after "a few too many" deliberate petrol thefts.
In one instance, police caught up to a thief who had the money but "just didn't want to pay", a staff member said.
Four years ago they were the victims of a ram-raid, after which one of the young offenders told the staff he'd done it because they were wealthy.
"The idea is that people seem to think because we own a petrol station we're rich. It's a lot harder for us to absorb the costs."
Many of Northland's stations were small businesses, that only made a profit of around four cents per litre and relied heavily on their stores.
Asked whether hiked fuel prices were behind the petrol thefts, the BP Kāeo worker said maybe for some places but drive-offs happened more at their station when petrol was cheaper.
On Tuesday, the average retail price for 91 octane in Northland was $2.30 – with prices between $2.27 to $2.33.
A Stats NZ insights analyst spokeswoman said for the North Island, excluding Auckland and Wellington, prices were up by 14.4 per cent in the June 2021 quarter when compared to the same time last year.
When the quarter was compared to 10 years ago, petrol prices in the North Island - excluding Auckland and Wellington - were up 0.2 per cent.
In the North Island as a whole, petrol prices were 2.7 per cent higher in the June 2021 quarter than they were in the June 2011 quarter.
The figures were from point-on-point comparisons and prices have fluctuated during that time, she said.
A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment media spokesman said the major factors contributing to the price at the pump were the cost of crude from Dubai and the exchange rate.
Crude oil prices have risen from NZ$29.33 in April last year to NZ$100.28 for the week ending August 27.
Summertime saw a spike in petrol thefts at some of Northland's holiday hotspots as out-of-towners took advantage of staff busy with more customers.
GAS Coopers Beach staff said drive-offs weren't frequent except during these holidays when people "take a chance" with occupied staff.
Despite it being a sad circumstance, GAS Bream Bay manager Balbinder 'Barry' Singh said workers had come to accept petrol theft and abuse as part of the industry.
He had the same stories about drive-offs – stolen cars, deliberate deceit.
"I choose to stay positive. Instead of thinking about those scumbags, I think about the community who appreciates our work. It's just better that way," Singh said.
"Those people have chosen their own life and I'm going to chose what to focus my life on."
A police spokesperson said typically between $5 to $150 worth of petrol were stolen during drive-offs in Northland.
The number of petrol thefts reported to police - around a dozen a week - hadn't put an "excessive" demand on their resources.
However, a number of stations said they don't bother reporting drive-offs.
"We are continuing to work closely with service stations, our partners, and the community on this issue; and CCTV footage and people reporting these crimes greatly helps our ability to identify those responsible and hold them to account," the police spokesperson said.
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