Police, store owners prepare for ‘gas-and-dash’ thefts as prices continue to rise
Global News
A spokesman for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police said it has started hearing from the retail industry about concerns related to theft.
Police and small retailers are preparing for an increase in “gas-and-dash” thefts as gasoline prices across Canada soar following sanctions against Russia that have put the squeeze on global oil supply.
The invasion of Ukraine just over two weeks ago has prompted some countries, including the United States, to ban imports of Russian oil or to move toward phasing them out.
Gasoline costs ranged between $1.60 and $1.90 per litre for the past week, says the gas-price tracking website GasBuddy.com.
A spokesman for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police said it has started hearing from the retail industry about concerns related to theft.
“There’s a national suspicion that some people may resort to (theft),” Joe Couto, the association’s director of communications, said in an interview.
“People’s budgets are really being pressed these days … it would not surprise us if some people, out of desperation or otherwise, resorted to this type of behaviour,” Couto said.
“These are difficult times for Canadians as a whole.”
The group has been working with the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, which represents 7,500 retailers, to lobby the provincial government for legislation that requires people to prepay — similar to what’s already in place in British Columbia and Alberta.