what happens if you're stranded and out of fuel a hundred miles away and no wallet...

GwylimT

Moto2 wrote: »

Don't be silly, it has nothing to do with the police unless you set out to steal the fuel

As someone who had company card failures on four different occasions that is exactly what happens, as while you originally do not intend to steal, you do then have intent if you remove the vehicle from the garages property. The policr attending, or a PCSO are the ones required to take any finger printing, the garage however can store name/address and a photocopy of your driving license.

Stevie_Palimo

I did this a long time ago and left my watch and phone with them until I returned to pay, It was not a huge distance from where I live but long enough to be an inconvenience.

Moto2

GwylimT wrote: »

As someone who had company card failures on four different occasions that is exactly what happens, as while you originally do not intend to steal, you do then have intent if you remove the vehicle from the garages property. The policr attending, or a PCSO are the ones required to take any finger printing, the garage however can store name/address and a photocopy of your driving license.

Rubbish
You've simply failed to pay a bill like any other - as above - it's a civil matter.
If you continue to fail to pay it, the garage may take the option of taking you to court to recover the debt.

Try this for a bit of reference material
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10357320/Legal-loophole-closed-to-prosecute-persistent-fuel-thieves.html

RS2000.

GwylimT wrote: »

As someone who had company card failures on four different occasions that is exactly what happens, as while you originally do not intend to steal, you do then have intent if you remove the vehicle from the garages property. The policr attending, or a PCSO are the ones required to take any finger printing, the garage however can store name/address and a photocopy of your driving license.

When did a PCSO gain the power to do this?

Even if you have the intent to remove the car from the premises where is the intent to permanently deprive the garage and where is the intent to steal?

I take it yiu are either guessing or making naive comments rather then trying to provoke a reaction.

stator

The local police in Devon and Cornwall have announced they are no longer attending to 'fuel drive-offs' since in all cases the driver claims they just forgot to pay and offers to go back and repay. No offence is comitted unless there is intent to steal, at least that's what the police say.
So if you know you don't have your wallet and deliberately take the fuel and drive off, that would be stealing. If you went into the petrol station and announced that you have forgotten your wallet then driving off could be seen as intent. But if you just drive off accidentally without paying then no-one could prove intent. If you usually use a pay at the pump station it would be entirely possible to forget to pay if you were at a station without pay at the pump.
The AA or RAC will only go and buy fuel for you if you give them cash.
But anyway, leaving some cash or CC in the car is of course the best idea.

Mercdriver

RS2000. wrote: »

When did a PCSO gain the power to do this?

Even if you have the intent to remove the car from the premises where is the intent to permanently deprive the garage and where is the intent to steal?

I take it yiu are either guessing or making naive comments rather then trying to provoke a reaction.

Well unless you can find a way to recycle the fuel you will be permanently depriving the owner of the petrol. It isn't necessarily down to the owner to assess your intent to steal, and he would be within his rights to call the police. If you knew you didn't have the means to pay you could still be in trouble.

For example, if you take money from your works safe without agreement, fully intending to pay it back, is that still not treated as theft?

CHR15

What on earth would give a petrol station attendant authority to take a fingerprint?
What a ridiculous comment.

Payment Evasion Offences - Petrol Stations

No Means of Pay

No means of payment (NMoP) conduct, as it is called in the fuel retail industry, occurs when drivers fill up their vehicles and then inform petrol station staff that they are unable to pay for the fuel because they have no cash or credit/debit cards in their possession. This can range from a one-off incident to drivers deliberately and repeatedly touring petrol stations fully intending not to pay for their fuel.
It is neither safe nor practicable to remove the fuel from the motorist's tank. So best practice in the industry is for petrol station staff to prompt the customer for alternative ways to pay and failing this to get them to sign an undertaking (a NMoPform) to pay within an agreed period (normally 7 days). In many cases, the incident is resolved in this way.
Some NMoP incidents occur as a result of genuine driver error and are often resolved when the driver returns to the petrol station to pay for the fuel that they obtained. It is highly unlikely that incidents such as these will be referred to the police.
However, there are drivers who deliberately and repeatedly use NMoP as a ploy to obtain fuel never intending to pay for it.
The NMoP incidents that are likely to require police and CPS consideration occur when drivers make no attempt at all to pay for the fuel on more than one occasion and/or the drivers provide false contact details (e.g. name or address) at the time the NMoP incident occurs at the petrol station (usually on the NMoP form the driver is asked to complete at the time of the incident).
A NMoP incident is not the same as an incident which involves the offence of making off without payment.

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/theft_act_offences/

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/91732/fuel-theft-in-cornwall-no-longer-our-concern-say-police

RS2000.

Mercdriver wrote: »

Well unless you can find a way to recycle the fuel you will be permanently depriving the owner of the petrol. It isn't necessarily down to the owner to assess your intent to steal, and he would be within his rights to call the police. If you knew you didn't have the means to pay you could still be in trouble.

For example, if you take money from your works safe without agreement, fully intending to pay it back, is that still not treated as theft?

Many years ago this was why it was never theft as once it went into the tank you could never prove what was what. Whether you intend to do so is different to doing it.

If you take money from a safe, are you meant to do it?

Petrol, meals in a restaurant. They both allow you to take the product before you pay. That's the difference.

RS2000.

stator wrote: »

The local police in Devon and Cornwall have announced they are no longer attending to 'fuel drive-offs' since in all cases the driver claims they just forgot to pay and offers to go back and repay. No offence is comitted unless there is intent to steal, at least that's what the police say.
So if you know you don't have your wallet and deliberately take the fuel and drive off, that would be stealing. If you went into the petrol station and announced that you have forgotten your wallet then driving off could be seen as intent. But if you just drive off accidentally without paying then no-one could prove intent. If you usually use a pay at the pump station it would be entirely possible to forget to pay if you were at a station without pay at the pump.
The AA or RAC will only go and buy fuel for you if you give them cash.
But anyway, leaving some cash or CC in the car is of course the best idea.

That is more likely to be seen as civil as there is less intent there than simply driving off.

neilmcl

Moto2 wrote: »

Don't be silly, it has nothing to do with the police unless you set out to steal the fuel

Exactly, which is why you're under no obligation to give your fingerprints. TBH, this is the first time I've heard of a petrol station doing this, are we sure this is correct?