Motor Trade Association pushes for stronger protections against service station crime

The Motor Trade Association (MTA) has called on the New Zealand government to implement strategies aimed at safeguarding service station workers and retail businesses from criminal activities.

The MTA’s recently released Position Statement on Service Station Crime includes a 10-point action plan targeting a problem that impacts numerous employees and causes substantial financial losses.

Challenges facing service station workers in New Zealand

MTA chief executive Lee Marshall (pictured) highlighted the daily challenges faced by service stations, including violent crimes and fuel theft.

“Violent smash-and-grab robberies leave vulnerable workers injured and traumatised. Drive-off fuel theft hits the bottom line of independent service stations hard,” he said.

He emphasised that the impact of crime extends beyond businesses, affecting local communities as well.

According to police statistics, the first five months of this year saw 60 aggravated robberies and almost 12,000 thefts reported at service stations across the country.

Marshall pointed out that transforming service stations into highly secure facilities is not a preferred solution.

“That’s not the Kiwi way, and it’s not what service stations want either. We know this government takes crime particularly seriously – that’s why we have developed our plan to work with them on keeping people safe and secure, and to make a real difference,” he said.

Motor Trade Association’s action plan to address retail crime surge

The MTA’s proposed action plan, based on input from its 920 service station members and international research, suggests several measures, including:

• expanding the Police Community Beat Patrols initiative to include “Hot Spot” motorised nighttime patrols of service stations, especially in high-risk areas, as implemented in Auckland in March 2024
• disallowing offenders from receiving sentence reductions for expressing remorse if they have posted videos of their crimes on social media
• exploring the possibility of enabling retailers to claim tax rebates on stolen fuel
• ensuring insurance companies offer reasonable premiums and excesses, and do not cancel policies due to crime incidents
• developing a comprehensive Retail Crime Action Strategy in partnership with New Zealand Police and other relevant agencies, while encouraging a shift in police tactics regarding service station crime

Marshall noted that many of these recommendations could benefit the broader retail sector.

“Crime is an extremely serious threat for many businesses. We are ready to work with all parties to support and protect Kiwis from crime,” he said.

He also acknowledged the establishment of the Ministerial Advisory Group on retail crime as a positive move and called for a collective effort to tackle the issue.

“We are ready to work with all parties to keep Kiwis safe – everyone deserves that,” he said.

In other news from the New Zealand automotive industry, a community of drivers, enthusiasts, and advocates recently expressed concerns regarding potential amendments to the Clean Car Standard (CCS).