Tamworth Regional Council will write to service stations asking them to switch off pumps after spike in motor vehicle and fuel theft

Tamworth Regional Council will write to petrol stations which open seven days a week, 24-hours a day, asking them to implement pay before you pump after 11:30pm each night to help curb vehicle and fuel theft.

Deputy mayor and chair of the community safety working group Mark Rodda, said the push from council had been made on the back of advice from police.

"They [police] thought it would reduce the incidences of those people who had stolen motor vehicles getting further away from the original vehicle site," he said.

Cr Rodda said the pay before you pump approach would limit "joyrides" in stolen vehicles.

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"Anything we can do to reduce the opportunities for those to keep their fun time going at someone else's expense is good," he said.

The call out comes after a spike in late night vehicle related crime across the region, as police work to bring the spree under control.

Oxley police have been pleading with petrol station owners in Tamworth and Gunnedah since April to implement the pay before you pump strategy.

At the time, service station operators were urged to turn the pumps off between midnight and 6am.

In April Oxley Detective Inspector Jason Darcy told the Leader young people rolling in behind the wheel of high-end cars should ring alarm bells for petrol station staff.

"These young people are stealing cars, they will then go to service stations here and in Gunnedah where they fill these vehicles up and go on to commit further offences like break and enters and stealing cars," he said.

Switching off the pumps would also help to reduce fuel theft, which Cr Rodda said goes hand-in-hand with stolen motor vehicles.

"They're [petrol stations] are out of pocket a full tank of fuel, which isn't cheap anymore," he said.

Petrol stations will play an integral part in helping stamp out crime, but the plea to implement pay before you pump would also be a benefit to business.

"It's sad for the community but you've got to face reality," Cr Rodda said.

"You've got to do what you can to mitigate risk to your staff and your stock.

"And probably the only way to do it is to keep it [the store] locked."

The push to get petrol stations on board came after a meeting of the Tamworth Regional Council community safety working group.

Cr Rodda said many members of the group were "frustrated" with the recent spate of property crime.

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