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The South Australian Police Commissioner is calling on the state’s petrol stations to introduce prepaid fuel bowsers amid a surge in petrol thefts and dwindling police resources.
According to a March 2026 report by the ABC, South Australia recorded 221 petrol thefts between the 9th and the 13th of March 2026 – up 36 per cent from the 162 offences in the prior week.
Authorities said the state has recorded a significant uptick in first-time theft offences, with 97 offenders caught stealing petrol.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens told 891 ABC Adelaide that the current fuel theft problem in the state is diverting officers from other important duties.
“This takes police away from other responsibilities that we could be attending to,” Commissioner Stevens said.
“We are calling on the retail fuel industry to take positive steps to prevent this virtually overnight by implementing prepaid, which is something they have the capacity to do,” he said.
Though SA Police don’t have the power to make these changes, Commissioner Stevens said he can direct officers to stop taking fuel theft reports to prevent them from “being a drain on police resources”.
“We’ve been debating with the fuel industry for years in relation to this. While I acknowledge they’ve put in measures such as CCTV, number plate recognition and other measures that help us identify the offenders, it doesn’t actually assist us in mitigating this from a crime point of view,” he said.
“Rather than investigate and follow up, we’d rather prevent the crimes completely.”
However, industry bodies are calling out the commissioner’s comments, citing concerns that they could spark further offending.
According to Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) Chief Executive Rowan Lee, commissioner Stevens's comments are "quite frankly, irresponsible”.
“Fuel theft in the form of drive-offs is a costly problem for retailers. To send a message that theft is not a police priority completely sends the wrong signals,” Lee told Drive.
“One retailer reported that fuel theft drive-offs rose by 100 per cent just last week alone. Police cannot wash their hands completely of what is essentially a crime of larceny,” he added.
The ACAPMA chief executive told the ABC that installing a prepaid bowser costs approximately $5000 per pump, and that the mandatory installation cost would more than likely be passed on to consumers through increased retail pricing.
Speaking at a national cabinet meeting on 19 March 2026, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated that Australia has a healthy fuel supply and that panic buying isn't a "sensible or safe" thing to do.
"My message to Australians is, please do not take more fuel than you need. That is how you can help. That is the Australian way, to think of others, to think of their neighbours, their community, and to also think of the national interest. Only take what you need," he said.
Other states, such as Victoria, haven't encountered any similar issues. Despite this, a Victoria Police spokesperson said it is keeping a close eye on the situation.
"At this stage, there are no notable trends of escalating petrol theft following recent price increases. There is a possibility of this leading to an increase in petrol drive-offs," a Victoria Police spokesperson told Drive.
"However, the most common culprits are traditionally people committing other crimes, such as driving stolen cars or displaying false plates," they added.
Drive understands New South Wales Police is also monitoring the situation in the state.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
