LIMESTONE Coast Police is ramping up its focus on rural crime following several instances of diesel fuel theft which occurred across the region last month.
Operations manager Inspector Campbell Hill has called on farmers and community members to report any suspicious activity to help police get on top of the issue.
The renewed call follows Insp Hill visiting a pine plantation site in Kongorong last week where a generator and tyres from a submersible pump trailer – used to refill a major regional water storage tank used to battle fires – were stolen.
Police are breaking down rural crime data compiled over the last 10 years to get a better understanding of the criminal activity in the region.
“Rural crime data is quite a new concept as there has always been a bias to urban criminology data, but over the last 10 years there has been more of a focus on this area,” Insp Hill said.
“We know from studies done back in 2009 there was an increase in fuel theft as the commodity became more expensive and then once again in 2014 it was a target.
“There is still not enough data to know how exactly they’re selling and moving the fuel, but just driving down the street you will see utilities with large fuel tanks, so there is plenty of opportunity for them to move around.”
Highlighting a concerted effort by police to target the criminals responsible, Insp Hill said he had personally attended three victims’ properties over the last few weeks.
“I have made an effort to go out to some of these properties to see the lay of the land and talk to victims about crime prevention,” he said.
“On each occasion I have walked away with a piece of new information and it just reinforces that message that if you see things that are odd, report it to us.”
He said there was a general “under-reporting” of rural crime, which made it difficult for police to track down those responsible.
“People are starting to get the message, but there is still a lack of understanding and appreciation for how important their information might be to us,” he said.
“If we do not know about it, we cannot do anything about it.”
Insp Hill sympathised with the farmers who have been subjected to the crimes.
“Working conditions are already tough and these farmers have enough to deal with in their day-to-day business on top of then being victimised, it’s not acceptable,” he said.
“It’s impacting on the functions of the agriculture industry.”
However, he conceded it had reached a point where those living in rural areas needed to take further steps to deter criminals from targeting them.
“While some do not want to deviate from the traditional farming practices, we are now living in 2020 and the criminals are smarter,” he said.
During the investigation, police have identified the quality of some of the stolen diesel may seriously impact on the function of diesel engines.
They are urging the community to not purchase discount fuel from unauthorised distributors as the quality of the fuel cannot be assured and it is possible the fuel could be stolen.
“The quality of the diesel in some cases has been really poor, so if you are offered cheap diesel be really careful,” Insp Hill said.
“You could end up being up for thousands of dollars in relation to your vehicle.”
Police would like to hear from anyone who may have suffered diesel engine failures or significant malfunctions between January 20 and February 3.
They are also seeking information about anyone involved in the possession or distribution of stolen fuel.
