Spike in cooking oil thefts due to organised gangs

Organised gangs are behind increasing thefts of cooking oil in Suffolk and the issue could get worse, according to a police officer.

Sgt Brian Calver, from Suffolk Police, said the groups are targeting eateries for their oil and turning it into biofuels to sell on the black market, with an estimated 30 reported thefts so far this year.

Despite attempts to clamp down and taking tougher measures to track thieves, he does not see the problem going away any time soon.

Sgt Calver said: “It’s big business for these gangs to sell biofuels. It has been going on for some time, but we’ve seen a spike recently. Nationwide, we see new reports every week.

“While some break-ins occur, many of these gangs operate fake disposal companies to steal waste oil from unwary businesses.

“Many do not have security in place for their spare cooking oil as it hasn’t been a widely-reported issue until now.”

The gang’s hauls range from small containers to entire wheelie bins full of oil - decanting containers into larger drums, with the smaller ones often being fly-tipped.

Sgt Calver said that some residents do not report thefts of cooking oil, as it is not considered a valuable resource.

He added: “It’s easy pickings. Many places leave cooking oil lying around, and others do not check the credentials of disposal companies. Depending on the size of the restaurant, these thefts could cause them to lose a lot of business.

“We’ve sent out campaigns to help people understand this is a growing issue and to take precautions. We want to make it more difficult for these gangs.

“We know, right now, that they’re willing to use force to get into buildings, but it’s possible this could change.”

He advised businesses to keep oil stores under lock-and-key as a deterrent and urged owners to check the credentials of disposal firms and set strict rules for handover.

Sgt Calver said Suffolk Police are working to thwart thieves, catching them on the roads using number plate recognition.

The maximum sentence for these types of thefts is seven years.