National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Officer Edudzi Tamakloe has described the practice of rushing to collect fuel from accident tankers as stealing, warning that those involved are committing an offence.

Appearing before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, October 15, he said the practice should not be treated as an innocent rush to take advantage of an accident, but as the theft of petroleum products.

“What you describe as a rush for fuel is stealing, for want of a better word, and you know in this country stealing is an offence,” he said.

"A person who diverts petroleum products commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not less than 2,500 penalty units and not more than 5,000 penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment not less than two years or five years or both," he added.

Mr Tamakloe said the NPA had launched a public education campaign dubbed “Stay Back, Stay Safe” to discourage people from approaching tankers involved in accidents to siphon fuel.

He warned that the consequences of such actions could be devastating, particularly when people gather around tankers carrying highly flammable petroleum products.

His comments followed concerns about the need for systems to alert emergency services when fuel tankers are involved in accidents, allowing the Police, Fire Service and ambulance teams to respond promptly and prevent people from gathering at accident scenes to collect fuel.

Mr Tamakloe, however, explained that the sensors fitted to the vehicles are activated when the tanker begins moving and stop when it comes to a halt.

He said the system enables the Authority to measure the freight payable, explaining how the sensors operate in tracking the movement of the vehicles.