 The use of thumb prints will be extended to other garages in the area |
A new scheme to tackle fraud at petrol stations in Peterborough has halved offences in its first two months. The initiative is aimed at motorists who fill their cars with fuel and then claim to have left their money at home - many leave the petrol station promising to come back but are never seen again.
The new scheme combats the problem by requiring drivers who cannot pay their bill to leave a form of identity - a thumb print on a piece of card.
Two months since the introduction of thumb print identification, the number of thefts at two petrol stations trialling the scheme has fallen by 50 % and their are plans to extend it other garages in the area.
Difficult to walk away
In the past, motorists who could not pay for their fuel were asked to fill in a form stating their name and address.
Philip Mylchreest, a crime reduction officer with Cambridgeshire Police, said the use of the thumb print made it far more difficult for people to give false details.
"A would-be criminal probably knows the system and knows how the system works and they are very reluctant to walk out of a petrol station if they have left their thumb print.
"They may have left a false name and address, but they know that we can trace them."
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