VARS Technology Achieves Secured by Design Accreditation for Fuel Theft Prevention

The theft of petrol and diesel from garage forecourts has risen dramatically over the last few years, with figures compiled by Forecourt Trader showing that more than £6.5 million in fuel was reported stolen over the past five years across 131,000 incidents.

The majority of these thefts are caused by ‘drive offs’ where drivers fill up their tanks and leave with no intention of paying. This is different to a ‘no means of payment’ which includes genuine errors, for example where a driver has forgotten their purse or another means of payment.

VARS Technology has developed its Fuel Theft Prevention software to tackle this rising crime. Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) the software flags up suspected or blacklisted vehicles entering the forecourt or trying to fill up, setting off an instant notification with a visual and audio alert to staff. This enables staff to prevent drive-offs before they happen by refusing to release the pump for known fuel thieves unless they pay in advance.

When drive offs do occur, VARS Technology can also actively pursue offenders through its debt recovery service, recovering the cost of stolen fuel on behalf of forecourt operators. After obtaining registered keeper information from the DVLA, VARS contacts the offender with photographic evidence of the incident and secures repayment.

Valli Forecourts, a leading independent forecourt group based in Leeds, was experiencing an average of 50 drive offs a week, costing them around £47 per incident across their 16 sites. Over a year this equated to an estimated loss of over £122,000. After signing up with VARS Fuel Theft Prevention technology in 2019 the company estimates it has saved them over £630,000.

With more than one million incidents of blacklisted vehicles being detected at sites protected by VARS, the system has safeguarded retailers from millions in potential fuel theft. However, the benefits extend beyond financial savings - as staff no longer have to confront potentially aggressive individuals who refuse to pay, avoiding situations that could put them at risk. As a result, staff have reported less stress and anxiety.

Meeting tough rigorous testing standards, VARS Technology ANPR solution has been accredited by Secured by Design and details can be found here on their dedicated member’s page.

Features include:

• Automatic alert of blacklisted vehicles

• Quick and easy system for reporting drive-offs and no means of payment

• Recovery of fuel debts

• Highest and fastest recovery rates in the industry

• Award winning solution trusted by over 1,500 UK forecourts

Hazel Goss, Development Officer SBD, said, “It has been a pleasure to have VARS Technology join us as members of Secured by Design. They offer a unique product to tackle Petrol Forecourt Theft, and I’m looking forward to working alongside them for many more years to come.”

VARS Technology Director John Garnett said, “We have worked extremely hard for the past six years to develop the VARS ANPR system into the market-beating forecourt protection system it is today, so it is great to have that hard work recognised. Forecourt crime has been a hot topic recently, with a consensus that it will take a collective effort from forecourt operators, security providers and police forces to address the issue. If this membership helps us work more closely with police forces, then everyone benefits.”

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Secured by Design (SBD) is owned by the UK Police Service with the specific aim of reducing crime and increasing safety for businesses and individuals.

SBD seeks to improve the physical security of buildings and the surrounding area using products such as doors, windows, locks and walling systems along with fencing systems that meet the SBD Police Preferred Specification security requirements.

SBD have many partner organisations, ranging from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through to local authorities, housing associations, developers and manufacturers and work closely with standards and certification bodies.

SBD is the only way for companies to obtain police recognition for security-related products in the UK, through the Police Preferred Specification - a product-based accreditation scheme developed 25 years ago, which provides a recognised standard for all security products that effectively deter and reduce crime. SBD work with manufacturers and standards authorities to ensure that security standards are current and updated to keep pace with emerging crime trends.

Learn more about Secured by Design and our member companies at: https://www.securedbydesign.com/