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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have witnessed a crime and not done anything?

43 replies

Bettycooper · 25/04/2018 10:49

At a petrol station yesterday with my partner, he'd gone in to pay for fuel.

Noticed a moped pull up next to me with L plate and 2 riders. This set alarm bells ringing, also the pillion was wearing a makeshift balaclava and no helmet. Suspicions further raised when I saw pillion was holding a large jerry can.

I expected the staff not to let them use the pump in the first place but they did - and of course they filled moped and can and then rode off. As they did so I noted they had no number plate. The staff didn't even seem to notice or certainly no action was taken.

Given staff didn't seem bothered was I also right not to anything? I didn't really see what I could do if I'm honest. And reporting after the event I couldn't add to what would be on cctv. I never saw their faces due to helmet/ balaclava.

I did report a vehicle with no number plates once to 101 but the call handler didn't even know that was an offence.

Would you have done differently?

OP posts:
endofacentury · 25/04/2018 10:50

Called 101 Hmm

IveGotNoClothes · 25/04/2018 10:52

I'd have done nothing.

Classic case of "not my job"

19lottie82 · 25/04/2018 10:52

Your post seems slightly dramatic. It’s £7 ish worth of fuel. It’s the petrol stations problem not yours.

nocake · 25/04/2018 10:54

It's odd that the staff let them fill up. Our local petrol stations wouldn't have started the pump in the situation. I wonder if the staff are in on it.

What would I have done? Probably the same as you. The staff are in a better position to call the police as they have the CCTV so if they're not interested then I wouldn't be. Although I might email the petrol company as this might be a scam the staff are running.

scurryfunge · 25/04/2018 10:54

It’s up to the garage to report the bilking but I’d report the pillion/no helmet/ number plate stuff to the police though its only of use if the police happen to be around the area. The police would not pursue a moped either.

HarrietKettleWasHere · 25/04/2018 10:55

I like the dramatic setting of the scene, it's like Shell Western Grin

I thought they were going to do a holdup in the petrol station.

Original poster
Bettycooper · 25/04/2018 10:57

More like about £40 given that it was a huge jerry can, not one of those 5 litre petrol cans people keep in their cars.

Ok not a massive amount but still theft.

OP posts:
Meopham · 25/04/2018 10:58

If you were that bothered, you could have left your details with the garage, and said you'd be happy to be a witness if they wanted to report it to the police.
For all you know, this may be a known situation, and they may have caused trouble in the past and the garage may have received advice from the police to do exactly what they did. There may already be arrangements in place for this to be recorded and reported, hence why the staff didn't seem bothered. The police may even have been watching.

FASH84 · 25/04/2018 11:01

I saw something similar except it was a white van, the man sent a child in to pay, the staff member tannoyed to say under 16s can't pay for fuel (there were signs) , the child got in the white van the driver stuck his finger up and left without paying. I went in to pay for my fuel and said to the shop keeper I had seen everything they knew they hadn't paid and would be willing to give a statement. He took my info but said it was unlikely I would be needed as they have 17 HD CCTV cameras on the forecourt, and he would be calling the police himself. So I didn't call the police. I think you should have at least offered to be a witness.

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 25/04/2018 11:04

i am sorry but if you think you should have given chase or something then you must live 'very far from the main road'.

Original poster
Bettycooper · 25/04/2018 11:08

Sorry where have I said I thought I should have chased them?

I didn't feel I could add anything to what would be on cctv. Assuming it even got reported - honestly it felt like the staff either didn't notice or didn't want to notice iyswim.

OP posts:
FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 25/04/2018 11:09

well you said 'done something'? what could you have done? Been a vigilante?

scurryfunge · 25/04/2018 11:10

I think op means reporting it.

nellieellie · 25/04/2018 11:11

If it was a Shell garage, no, not BU to not report it. They’ve committed enough crimes with impunity. The others probably aren’t a lot better......

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 25/04/2018 11:12

oh right i see.
i don't know, i don't stare at people committing petty crimes nor would I consider reporting them.

Skisunsnow · 25/04/2018 11:13

The petrol station will have realised and will report themselves once they've checked their cctv.

Original poster
Bettycooper · 25/04/2018 11:15

Obviously not Hmm

I was thinking could or should I have alerted the garage or called 101 before they drove off. That said no crime had then been committed. And if the garage staff were maybe in on it/ turning a blind eye then nothing would have been done anyway.

I've not seen a theft crime committed in front of me before so I was a bit unsure how to react.

OP posts:
The80sweregreat · 25/04/2018 11:16

I would let it go - its still theft etc etc, but oil companies absorb the cost of this type of thing by charging more on other goods and services and i doubt the police would do a lot really if it was only a small amount of money. its bad, but not much you could do in the circumstances.

slbhill42 · 25/04/2018 11:18

I'd have reported it to the police. If they stole fuel that's the garage's problem and they usually have cctv (although without a number plate it won't get them far). But someone in a balaclava with a can of fuel & no number plate... that could easily be someone setting up for an arson attack. If the police know where & when that happened they may be able to connect it to a pattern and it may help them.

Original poster
Bettycooper · 25/04/2018 11:18

I wasn't staring at them. They were a few feet away directly in my line of sight. I don't normally sit with my eyes closed!

It wasn't Shell. It's one of those supermarket affiliated stations.

Anyway I will just write it off as life experience.

OP posts:
FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 25/04/2018 11:19

" should I have alerted the garage or called 101 before they drove off. "

unless you are a revenue protection officer for Shell, then no.

not your problem is it?

ParisUSM · 25/04/2018 11:19

I thought this was going to be a serious crime and you were worried about them being gangsters at first. No, I wouldn't report shoplifting or someone stealing fuel to be honest, not really going to be high up the police's list of priorities.

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 25/04/2018 11:19

Shell, BP, Morrisons, whatever.

Fatted · 25/04/2018 11:24

The garage will likely have reported it themselves after the event.

The police will not have done anything in relation to the theft from your report alone as you weren't a victim of the crime. They will have recorded your details as a witness and probably just passed details out over the radio for the moped in case it was still in the area.

So reporting it to the police would likely have made little difference to the outcome.

Viviennemary · 25/04/2018 11:26

It's quite possible the petrol station staff were aware of this happening but have been instructed not to tackle this kind of happening. So they might well have reported it to the police. So I wouldn't bother reporting it and it will all be on CCTV anyway.