The ranking by the police came despite a drop in the first quarter in the number of people driving off without paying for petrol.

In the Hume region, which includes Sunbury, Broadmeadows and Craigieburn, there were 80 petrol thefts compared with 110 during the same period of last year.

Safer communities unit's Inspector Jill Wood believed lower petrol prices, extended prepaid fuel hours and

Safe Plate one-way screws that help prevent numberplate thefts were all contributing factors for the drop in thefts.

"If you're a service station operator and you're not offering prepaid fuel, then I'd argue that you're inviting petrol thieves to your outlet," Inspector Wood said.

"Motorists similarly have a responsibility to ensure that petrol thieves cannot easily steal numberplates.

"Statistics indicate thieves have stolen more than 10,000 numberplate sets in the past 12 months.

"With tougher economic times predicted, petrol theft will remain a high-volume crime unless people are proactive," she said.

Leading Senior Constable Leigh Harris of Broadmeadows police said petrol stations were given a specific petrol theft form to fill out last year in an effort to curb crime.

"The idea is to get as much information as we can to be able to determine whether it is a civil or criminal matter.

"A lot of the time, people forget their wallet at home and can't pay.

"Most come back to settle the debt, and there is no reason to charge them with theft.

"It's drive-offs [without paying for petrol] and the ones which remain outstanding we chase up."

Clare Buchanan, of the Woolworths petrol station in Sunbury, said the drop in thefts was largely due the fall in petrol prices.

"It's worse when petrol costs $1.50 a litre. There seems to be an increase in number of people admitting they can't pay.

"We try to monitor repeat offenders."

A spokeswoman for AA Holdings, which manages the Sunbury BP station, said the company had spent additional money on its surveillance system.

"I can't say the figures have dropped dramatically but it has improved," she said.

Casey tops the tally with 140 reported petrol thefts, followed by Brimbank with 110 and Whittlesea with 106.

Moreland, the last among the top 10, had 52 thefts.

Hume Mayor Jack Ogilvie said people who did 'a runner' on petrol stations deserved to be sent to jail.