RCMP in at least two provinces say there have been big jumps in fuel thefts in 2022, compared to 2021.
In Saskatchewan, RCMP say there was a 70 percent jump in people stealing gasoline or diesel fuel in 2022—around 818 cases in total.
“Of that, 510 of those were mostly from someone fuelling up at a gas station then leaving without paying, so the typical ‘gas and dash.’ And then 106 of that is from bulk fuel tanks at businesses, farms, or rural municipalities,” said Saskatchewan RCMP media relations officer Jessica Murphy.
Another 117 reports of theft were from large fuel tanks or heavy machinery, either by siphoning or drilling the tank, Murphy said….