Fuel theft is exploding nationwide as petrol and diesel prices reach record highs, as police warn they no longer have the resources to chase every drive-off. 

Petrol drive-offs jumped from 162 to 221 in a single week in South Australia, marking an increase of 37 per cent. 

Half of the drivers responsible are understood to be first-time offenders.  

The incidents have prompted South Australian Police to urge petrol stations to install prepaid fuel systems to combat drive-offs. 

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said officers would not be chasing petrol thieves unless servos took precautionary measures. 

‘With the cost-of-living pressures that people are dealing with, the significant increases in fuel costs, we will see more petrol drive-offs in the weeks to come,’ Commissioner Grant Stevens said. 

‘I can’t compel the retail fuel sector to take these steps, but what I can do is manage how police deal with these offences,’ he said.

‘It bogs us down in investigations that we should not have to undertake.’

A Victorian man shared footage of a truck being driven by men he claimed had been stealing diesel from other trucks in an industrial area. 

‘Pretty quick set up,’ the man captioned the video, which showed a large truck with no front or rear numberplates making a U-turn.

‘They stop, the passenger runs out, grabs a hose with a pipe on the end with the pump already running drains the truck’s tanks and they take off.

‘They were not too keen on me filming them.’

Australia imports the vast majority of its fuel at the tail end of a long supply chain, which has been under strain since the conflict in the Middle East saw Iran block the Strait of Hormuz. About 20 per cent of the world’s oil travels through the strait. 

Fuel is expected to begin flowing from Australia’s emergency stockpiles imminently, as state and territory officials prepare for crisis talks. 

An agreement to release extra petrol and diesel to regional areas suffering critical shortages was reached between Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Australia’s fuel companies on Wednesday, AAP has learned.

The deal was discussed at a roundtable convened by Transport Minister Catherine King, two sources familiar with the meeting said, but it is yet to be formally announced by the government.

It comes ahead of a national cabinet meeting on Thursday between the prime minister and state premiers to discuss major price shocks and shortages driven by the war between the US, Israel and Iran.

State leaders are demanding faster action on the crisis and a long-term plan from the Commonwealth to deal with fuel shortages, if the conflict isn’t resolved quickly.

National cabinet plans to appoint a fuel tsar to help lead the nation’s response, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed on Wednesday.

‘I’ll be asking state premiers and chief ministers to appoint someone, a point person, so that the Commonwealth can collaborate in a way to make sure we deal with the challenges which are there,’ he told reporters in Burnie, Tasmania.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the gathering was an opportunity to deal with the challenges around fuel supply, particularly the availability of diesel.

‘We’re keen to see a national plan that sets out a clear escalation pathway, including what further actions may be taken if the conflict continues and conditions worsen,’ he said in a statement.

On top of allowing fuel companies to release a week’s worth of petrol and diesel from their emergency stockpiles, the government has eased quality standards to allow more fuel into the market.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers flagged more announcements in the coming days, but provided little detail.

‘We are preparing for the risk of more prolonged disruption, including through work with international partners, to help insulate more fuel-exposed industries like farming, transport and mining,’ he told ABC TV on Wednesday.