Making Off Without Payment of Fuel, across the MPS in 2023 and 2024

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.25.043060

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Between January 2024 - December 2024, how many reports did you receive of ‘petrol bilking’ (or petrol theft)?
2. Between January 2024 - December 2024, how many complaints / reports were made from drivers who were falsely accused of ‘petrol bilking’?
3. Between January 2023 - December 2023, how many reports did you receive of ‘petrol bilking’ (or petrol theft)?
4. Between January 2023 - December 2023, how many complaints / reports were made from drivers who were falsely accused of ‘petrol bilking’?

Clarification -
I have been advised by our data analysts that they can provide you with the information requested in questions 1 and 3. However, we do not hold the information requested in questions 2 and 4 in a format that can easily be retrieved by automatic means. To search for and retrieve the information requested in questions 2 and 4 would require us to manually read thousands of complaint records to see if any related to the subject matter of your request as there is not a flag / marker on our databases to automatically this type of information. This task would vastly exceed the FOIA cost / research threshold.

You confirmed:
Thanks for updating me on this. I would still like the information for questions one and three if possible.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.