A petrol station owner near Romford, East London, has invested £12,000 in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras after losing an estimated £30,000 over four years to fuel thieves. Goran Raven, 49, whose family has run the forecourt since 1929, says he was driven to act by frustration with Essex Police, whom he accuses of treating petrol theft as a 'low-level' crime.
The ANPR system, installed nine months ago, also features facial recognition technology and has reduced fuel theft by around 80 per cent, according to Mr Raven. The cameras use artificial intelligence to compare number plates against the DVLA database; if a plate does not match the vehicle, an alert is sent and the pump can be stopped. The system also flags plates previously used in thefts.
Mr Raven said: 'I looked at the price and thought, that's expensive, but when you weigh up the losses it's saving, it was a simple enough decision.' He added that the problem is nationwide: 'Most police forces don't take these things as serious crimes. These tend to be county lines criminals – we are literally fuelling crime.'
Mr Raven also installed facial recognition cameras to deter shoplifters at the Budgens store on his forecourt. He said the approach is to offer help rather than confront suspects, which typically makes them leave. He acknowledged that criminals may target other businesses but said: 'I have to think about my family business. We can defend ourselves and make it hard for people to commit crime.'
Essex Police said the number of 'making off without payment' offences has almost halved in the last year. Mr Raven, however, criticised the force's response, citing a Freedom of Information request that showed a seven per cent crime-solving rate over seven years. He said he stopped reporting crimes three to four years ago due to perceived inaction.
