A Clinton fuel thief's attempted raid was a recipe for disaster, police say.
An attempted petrol theft could have cost the life of the thief and others after a drill was used to pierce a car's petrol tank, Senior Constable Richard Whitmore, of Clinton, said.
''If you imagine someone's drilling into a petrol tank under a car it's causing sparks that could ignite and go bang with the offender still under it,'' he said.
''Police have concerns that whoever was using the drill to attempt to steal the petrol could have caused a fire which may have resulted in injury to the owner of the vehicle or the offender themselves.''
The attempted theft occurred overnight on Tuesday, but was only reported at the weekend.
The car was parked inside a garage connected to a house in Halsey St.
On the same night, about $25 of petrol was stolen from a car parked in the driveway of a Church St address.
Snr Const Whitmore believed the two raids were linked, because of their proximity.
In the latter theft, a bung was removed from the car's fuel tank and it was drained, he said.
''Police are appealing for any information in relation to the two offences,'' he said.
''It reinforces that crime prevention message _ lock and secure your property and possessions, and report anything suspicious to police.''
The thefts came after a string of dishonesty offences in August.
Those offences were also in the Halsey and Church Sts area, but police were keeping an open mind as to whether they were linked to the fuel raids.
Anyone with information that could help should contact Clinton police on (03) 419 9060 or their nearest police station. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
