Fuel thefts might be ‘low-level’ crimes but they aren’t victimless – Daily Record

I am one of those drivers who waits until the tank is running on empty before hitting the petrol station.

Dont @ me I have tried and failed to be more organised and, yep, I know its bad for the engine but Ive always been a bit of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal and Im too old to change now.

So when I stopped at the garage the other day, I was incandescent with rage when I noticed it was 1.69 a litre.

I got back in the car and said to my daughter, I bet the petrol thieves are swinging into action.

Lo and behold, later that day, Police Scotland fired out a warning that fuel thefts were on the rise across Scotland.

This is really not cool at all. While were all struggling with rising fuel costs, energy bills and food prices, some have it much worse than others.

So you can be sure the domestic thefts are probably hurting those who can least afford it.

I hate thieves. Its the one so-called low-level crime that makes my blood boil.

Its rare someone steals out of need most of the thieves Ive met take because they want something someone else has and they dont want to work for it.

Theres varying degrees of thievery the lowlifes who are too lazy to get a job and see it as easy money, the deviants who get a kick out of entering someones home and taking all their mucky hands can carry, the thieves feeding an addiction, whether its drugs, alcohol or gambling, and the professionals who carry out multi-million-pound heists.

What about the guy who used his last 50 to fill up his tank so he can get to work and wakes up in the morning to find its all gone and hes left explaining the situation to an angry boss who doesnt care about his personal circumstances?

Social media is awash with appeals for stolen bikes and quite often they belong to kids whove saved up their pennies or got it as a gift.

All too often the bikes are later found abandoned and destroyed by moronic neds who cant help but use their sticky fingers for vandalism either.

Thieves, in my experience, have no moral compass or boundaries and lack the characteristics that should prevent them from taking stuff that doesnt belong to them.

Confession: I once stole a pencil from a shop aged around seven or eight. I was so consumed by guilt, I told my friend I was going to take it back and tell the shopkeeper.

She persuaded me that to do so would mean a severe punishment so I threw it away in the hope I could just forget about it.

The Daily Record and Sunday Mail have always been at the forefront when it comes to reporting crime in Scotland.

But did you know all the ways you can stay informed of the top crime and courts headlines?

We share live crime news and exclusive court stories as well as features and columns on historical cases, keeping our readers informed and updated across the country.

But I couldnt and I confessed all to my grandparents who decided the mortification and discomfort I was feeling was punishment enough and would cause me to think twice in future. It did.

Now, my crime wasnt life-changing, it didnt cause the business to collapse and the only person who felt truly impacted by my actions was me but thats not the reality of low-level crimes.

Most crimes are not victimless. Shoplifting costs the economy billions, someone invading your private space is a violation that can have a tremendous psychological impact on the victim, leaving them fearful in the one place they should feel safe and secure.

Poverty is often trotted out as a reason for acquisitive crimes but thats just an aspersion on those who have very little and an all-too-easy catch-all to explain why greed and envy motivates most thieves.

Lets not get me started on legalised theft thats a column for another day.

In the meantime, nicking some petrol might seem like a small-time crime and not worthy of police time or condemnation but small crimes lead to big crimes and where do you draw the line?

Staying on the subject of cars this week, who agrees that drivers who deliberately go slow should be targeted, fined and penalised as often as speeding drivers?

Cops spend a lot of time, money and resources targeting the boy racers, the speeders and the fast cars but Ive rarely heard of anyone being done for being too slow.

Youre sitting on the motorway doing 70mph, you go to overtake and realise youre behind a Sunday driver on the outside lane doing 40mph and refusing to move across.

This happened to me earlier this week on the M8.

I was four cars back, the rain was lashing and the three cars in front of me were braking, speeding up, slowing down and frustration was in the air.

Not for the first time, I felt uneasy seeing how easy a pile up was in the making as the wacky races unfolded before me.

If youre too scared to drive at 70mph on a motorway, you really shouldnt be behind the wheel at all.

So Captain Slow, move over or get off the roads and let the rest of us get to our destinations safely but quicker.

What do you think?

My jaw dropped when I read last week that Denver police are investigating after someone stole a box containing human heads from a truck.

They said the box was being transported for medical reasons when it was targeted by thieves.

Two questions: Have they discovered how to transplant heads and why on earth would a thief want someones heid?

Mind-boggling and creepy.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .

See the rest here:

Fuel thefts might be 'low-level' crimes but they aren't victimless - Daily Record