(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Gas Thefts

P.A. seeing increase in people stealing gas, two charged with theft

Apr 26, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The recent spike at the gas pumps may be fueling a different sort of criminal activity.

Over the past couple of months, the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) has received several reports of people filling their vehicles and just leaving before paying.

A 32-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman have since been arrested and charged with several counts of theft under $5,000, possession of stolen property under $5,000, and possession of stolen property over $5,000.

Police Chief Jon Bergen told paNOW this specific issue may have an easy fix.

“We do think that prepay would make that pretty much 100 per cent preventable and that’s going to free up the police resources.”

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Community Safety Officers have researched Alberta’s gas and dash bylaw legislation, which forces everyone to prepay for gas, and they suggest the city consider a similar bylaw.

What’s harder to prevent are people stealing gas directly from vehicles.

Bergen noted they’ve received reports of tanks having holes drilled in them.

“There you got someone who’s a victim of losing their fuel, but they’re further victimized by the expensive repairing.”

There have also been calls about catalytic converters, which help reduce vehicle emissions, being stolen most likely to be sold since they contain valuable metals.

PAPS is offering a few tips to help people protect their vehicles such as parking in well-lit areas with higher traffic volumes, using a garage whenever possible, installing motion sensor lighting, cameras, or even a car alarm.

As for the catalytic converters, they suggest setting up a protective cage.

The last tip is to simply contact authorities.

“If you see something that doesn’t look right, doesn’t feel right, give us a call. That might not just protect you but also your neighbours as well.”

People can call 911 for emergencies, 306-953-4222 if they notice suspicious activity, or report it to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at https://www.p3tips.com/248.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow