With fuel prices high, it’s perhaps not surprising that Okanagan drivers have reported a spate of gas thefts in recent weeks.
Global News spoke to four vehicle owners who have had their gas tanks punctured and drained in just the last few weeks.
The drivers say they are hoping to warn others that this is happening.
The owner of James Tirecraft, a commercial vehicle repair shop in Kelowna, estimates he lost 160 litres of fuel when a thief drilled holes in the gas tanks of two of his service vehicles and drained them.
The incident, which occurred on the evening of Sunday, June 5 at the Campion Street business, was captured on surveillance footage.
“When the jerry can was full he stuffed another bucket under and poured it into his tank until he was done what he was doing, then left for the rest of it to just drain on the ground.”
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Matzke points out the impact of this type of crime can be far-reaching.
“It affects everyone. Dollars we’ve got to spend to fix our trucks trickles down to end-user price, so if we can stop this kind of stuff from happening it can help keep the price of repairs under control,” Matzke said.
The same weekend the auto shop was hit, Kalissa Bellefeuille’s gas tank was drilled into when her vehicle was parked overnight at a resort on the west side of Okanagan Lake, while Shaun McCoy’s car was also targeted while it was parked overnight at his Vernon workplace in the Swan Lake area.
McCoy’s gas tank was punctured in two places.
He has patched the holes for now but believes the gas tank will need to be replaced, which is a big financial hit for McCoy who didn’t have insurance on the vehicle.
Shaun McCoy’s car was parked at his Vernon workplace overnight when two holes were drilled in the gas tank.
For UBC Okanagan grad student Chris Dumigan, the theft occurred while he was parked at a university lot and a full tank of gas was drained.
Dumigan said replacing the tank will cost around $1,500.
“Watch your stuff…They will take anything they can get really. It is honestly just kind of sad. Whoever did this is obviously hurting if they are willing to steal like $100 of gas,” Dumigan said.
“Be careful out there. Times are tough. People are desperate.”
North Okanagan RCMP says since the beginning of March there have been 15 reports of fuel theft in that region.
While police couldn’t immediately provide data from previous years to compare, Const. Chris Terleski said, “anecdotally there does seem to be an increase in reports of fuel thefts in our area.”
“With gas prices at a record high, there’s certainly the potential for these types of thefts to continue,” wrote Terleski in an email to Global News.
“We’re encouraging the public to take any steps they can to minimize the opportunities for fuel thieves.”
To combat this type of crime, police are encouraging people to report any suspicious activity directly, install locking gas caps, park in well-lit areas and set up video or photo surveillance.
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