Alongside increasing fuel theft, forecourt operators are also continuing to report growing levels of abuse, intimidation and violence from frustrated customers, leaving staff on the frontline of a broader rise in retail crime. Nick Fisher, chief executive of Facewatch, said: “The distinction between fuel crime and retail crime has largely disappeared. Forecourt Eye maintains one of the UK’s largest private databases of vehicles linked to fuel theft, now exceeding 300,000 registrations. Gordon Balmer, executive director of the Petrol Retailers Association, welcomed the announcement: “Today’s forecourts are dealing with far more than fuel theft. Whether it is unpaid fuel, shop theft, organised crime, or unacceptable abuse of staff, operators need joined-up solutions that recognise how these issues increasingly overlap.