THEFT OF PETROL FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

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THEFT OF PETROL FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

52.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) if he will provide a breakdown of the cases involving theft of petrol from motorcycles and other motor vehicles reported to the police in the last 12 months; (b) what are the locations where these thefts occurred; (c) what progress has the police made so far in their investigations; and (d) why is there no police advisory to warn the public to take preventive measures against such thefts.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: There were a total of 27 cases of petrol theft reported in 2007, of which 25 cases were from motorcycles and two cases were from cars. Between January to June this year, there were 41 such cases reported, of which 37 cases were from motorcycles and four cases were from cars. The cases occurred mainly in Woodlands, Jurong West and Bukit Panjang estates, in both open and covered car parks. Since 2007, Police have solved eight cases of petrol theft and are continuing to investigate the other cases.

Clearly, motorcycles are more prone to petrol theft as their petrol caps are exposed and if unsecured, can be removed easily. Every vehicle owner should take responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are properly secured. Petrol tanks can be protected by using fuel-locking caps, which are readily available in the market. This is a simple precaution which acts as an additional deterrent. Motorcycle owners can also cover motorcycles with canvas sheets secured by locks, which make it difficult for thieves to reach the fuel caps and siphon the petrol out.

The Member asked why the Police have not issued an advisory to warn the public to take preventive measures against petrol thefts. The Police has alerted residents and vehicle owners at the affected areas through the local grassroots about such thefts and worked with relevant agencies and grassroots organisations through the Neighbourhood Watch Zone (NWZ) and the Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP) in preventing and detecting such crimes. For example, residents in a neighbourhood may form a watch group to look out for suspicious characters at car parks. I am told that in Choa Chu Kang, there is an initiative where the residents and grassroots members perform regular patrols at car parks to deter and detect crimes at car parks. Since its implementation in April 2008, such crimes have reduced significantly.

In addition, the Police have been collaborating with the Town Councils since June 2006 to equip the Town Councils with mobile CCTV cameras. Some of these mobile CCTV systems, which are owned by the Town Councils, have been deployed at public car parks to prevent thefts from vehicles.

Police advisories on petrol theft have been done at the local level and not as an island-wide crime advisory. This is because the thefts have occurred primarily in certain clusters.

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The number of cases which have occurred so far is very small, considering we have about 145,000 motorcycles and scooters and about 725,000 cars and other vehicles currently registered in Singapore.

Opportunistic crimes like petrol thefts can be prevented if only vehicle owners take anti-theft measures. The Police will do their part. In fact, all property owners have to be vigilant and should be responsible for taking some basic steps to safeguard their property.