Petrol theft- security advice please.

[Wagon Sailor]

Way back when we had severe fuel shortages, thieves in some areas would simply hammer a spike into the underside of a fuel tank and let the stuff pour into a can via a funnel. They may have wasted as much fuel as they stole, but they didn't care.

[Dastardly Diesel]

A good alarm with a proximity alert, so you know about it before the even touch the car. Not expensive these days.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

Way back when we had severe fuel shortages, thieves in some areas would simply hammer a spike into the underside of a fuel tank and let the stuff pour into a can via a funnel. They may have wasted as much fuel as they stole, but they didn't care.

Unfortunately, that is true of a lot of things - if people want to thieve them they will. Probably the best thing to do is make taking your thing less attractive than taking someone else's. Alarms are a complete waste of time, CCTV cameras seem to be quite effective - thieves never like to be photographed. Best of all is: get a dog.

Alan

[Dastardly Diesel]

CCTV is completely ineffective. There is no evidence it acts as a deterrent - unless you can watch it constantly it has no utility, and even the thickest scumbag knows they only have to pull up their hood and its defeated.

Divide the cost of all the CCTV cameras by the number of crimes detected, and the average detection by CCTV costs over £600,000. So no use for deterrent or detection,

This idea that "theyll get it if they're determined enough" defeatest and simply wrong. Tjats just an excuse people use to justify taking the last option and doing nothing.

You want defence in depth. Stop them getting on to the site in the first place, or set up detection tools so you know when they do. Gates or walls stops them, and if this isn't possible then IR detection so you know when someone has crossed the boundary - unless they zip line in from a helicopter this is infallible.

Then protect the car itself. Put it in a garage. If that's not possible the as aforementioned proximity alarms will let you know when they get within 5 feet of the car before they can even touch it- alarms with pager or SMS alert aren't expensive. Unless the thief is completely invisible and gives off no body heat that's also infallible.

Then final target hardening, protecting the part of the car in question. Locking fuel filler, locking wheels nuts, etc.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Dastardly Diesel

CCTV is completely ineffective. There is no evidence it acts as a deterrent - unless you can watch it constantly it has no utility, and even the thickest scumbag knows they only have to pull up their hood and its defeated.

Divide the cost of all the CCTV cameras by the number of crimes detected, and the average detection by CCTV costs over £600,000. So no use for deterrent or detection,

This idea that "theyll get it if they're determined enough" defeatest and simply wrong. Tjats just an excuse people use to justify taking the last option and doing nothing.

You want defence in depth. Stop them getting on to the site in the first place, or set up detection tools so you know when they do. Gates or walls stops them, and if this isn't possible then IR detection so you know when someone has crossed the boundary - unless they zip line in from a helicopter this is infallible.

Then protect the car itself. Put it in a garage. If that's not possible the as aforementioned proximity alarms will let you know when they get within 5 feet of the car before they can even touch it- alarms with pager or SMS alert aren't expensive. Unless the thief is completely invisible and gives off no body heat that's also infallible.

Then final target hardening, protecting the part of the car in question. Locking fuel filler, locking wheels nuts, etc.

I must be wrong then. Ho hum.

[Laird Scooby]

Something like this would work too :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vetus-Fue...e/264280438860



The listing says it's for rubber and plastic fuel pipes only (exact words, not for steel or rigid pipes), if that is the case, cut a section out of the original filler neck, obtain the correct size fuel hose to go over it, insert the yellow thing inside the rubber hose and fit the rubber hose in place of the section you removed from the filler neck.

Apparently it's 72mm long so you'd need to remove 72-80mm from the original filler pipe and use a piece of rubber pipe about 120-130mm long to give space on each end to secure the rubber pipe to the original metal filler neck.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I must be wrong then. Ho hum.

I think you're both right on the CCTV - in some areas it's a great deterrent, in others it's not worth the screws holding the camera to the wall.

I notice the OPs location is shown as "London and Cambridge", i know some areas of Cambridge where CCTV would work well and others where the locals view them as an extra YouTube camera! I expect London is similar.

I suspect a PIR security light would be a big help, after all the petrol thieves won't know if you're watching them and/or calling the old bill at the same time or sneaking round the back way with a baseball bat to "encourage them not to do it again" - after all, you keep it indoors when it's not in the car for hitting the dogs ball with don't you and you had forgotten to bring it in - you went out to retrieve it (not wishing to carry an offensive weapon throughout your daily tasks) and surprised the petrol thief who attacked you and you simply defended yourself with the first thing that came to hand.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I think you're both right on the CCTV - in some areas it's a great deterrent, in others it's not worth the screws holding the camera to the wall.

I notice the OPs location is shown as "London and Cambridge", i know some areas of Cambridge where CCTV would work well and others where the locals view them as an extra YouTube camera! I expect London is similar.

I suspect a PIR security light would be a big help, after all the petrol thieves won't know if you're watching them and/or calling the old bill at the same time or sneaking round the back way with a baseball bat to "encourage them not to do it again" - after all, you keep it indoors when it's not in the car for hitting the dogs ball with don't you and you had forgotten to bring it in - you went out to retrieve it (not wishing to carry an offensive weapon throughout your daily tasks) and surprised the petrol thief who attacked you and you simply defended yourself with the first thing that came to hand.

I keep a baseball bat by the front door, just in case I fancy a bit of batting practice during the night.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I keep a baseball bat by the front door, just in case I fancy a bit of batting practice during the night.

:-)

I'm sure Bob is up for chasing a ball anytime Alan!

[Bugjam1999]

Thanks for all the replies,

Unfortunately some suggestions aren’t possible in this case- the car usually lives on the road outside my parents house - it doesn’t usually get a space on the drive so that was a bit of a one off - hiding it behind a gate or in a garage etc whilst good suggestions aren’t things I can do.

I’m going to fit some sort of anti-syphon device to the car and cctv to the house, whilst I appreciate that cctv might work and it might not, no other cars on the road have been targeted which implies I only have to make it a little less appealing as a target for it to be left alone the same as everyone else’s.

I already have a dog... but since I don’t live particularly close to my parents house, she’s not much use as defence in this case!

Cheers