''You still have the deliberate hard-core offenders of the drive-offs but the thefts by opportunistic thieves have eased slightly,'' Mr Taylor said. ''The sort of people who are willing to undertake this sort of crime are out there doing other things, of course.''

Mr Taylor said the industry was reluctant to make all drivers pay before they filled up their vehicles and he was hopeful that other solutions could be discussed at October's forum.

''So this discussion with the police will be what measures we can put in place,'' he said.

''It's pretty draconian to have an enforced pay-before-fill system, it doesn't give a good example of the state of the town if that's the way you're forced to do business.''

The retailers spokesman said high-tech solutions, such as plate recognition software, could be used in future.

Under the current reporting system for petrol, service station operators are asked to complete and fax a form to police providing as much detail as possible about the offender and vehicle.

Some of the service stations want an online reporting system.

ACT Policing business liaison officer Senior Constable Racquel James said the survey had given police a snapshot of security techniques at Canberra's service stations.

''Increasing petrol thefts are an issue of mutual concern to police and the retail industry,'' Senior Constable James said.

''Now that we have this information, our next step is to engage the industry in a candid discussion about how we can work together to both make it more difficult for petrol thieves, and to give police the best possible chance of catching those responsible.''