A man has been charged with allegedly stealing more than 500 litres of fuel, on eleven separate occasions, from a rural property in the state's south.
Police will allege 544 litres fuel, with estimated value of nearly $1,100 was stolen from a fuel bowser on a property in Hanwood, between September 2025 and February 2026.
About 7.35am yesterday (Monday 16 February 2026), officers attached the Rural Crime Prevention Team attended a rural property on Kidman Bay, Tharbogang.
They arrested a 58-year-old man and he was taken to Griffith Police Station. He was charged with 11 counts of Larceny value less than or equal to $2,000.
He was granted conditional bail to appear in Griffith Local Court on Wednesday 18 March 2026.
Detective Chief Inspector Cameron Whiteside from the Rural Crime Prevention Team is encouraging more landowners to come forward and report crimes.
" Fuel theft is one of the highest under reported rural crime offences that is having a significant impact on rural landowners. The biggest challenge for police, is that rural landowners are not reported these matters,"
"The Rural Crime Prevention Team wants to work with rural landowners to focus on areas that are being targeted by thieves stealing fuel from rural properties. Often criminals that steal fuel are committing other crimes in your area. To ensure the Rural Crime Prevention Team can target these offenders, police need to be aware of the crime or any suspicious activity."
There are several ways to report crime:
- Call or attend your local Police Station
- Call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444
- Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
- Report online via the Police Community Portal - https://portal.police.nsw.gov.au or in the case of an emergency, call 000.
There are also resources on the NSW Police Force internet site to assist with reporting stock theft and fuel theft.
