Tonight, the British Gas Revenue Protection team will be featuring as the headline story on the BBC One Show by giving an insight on energy theft which costs our industry more than £400 Million every year.
News & Events
Response to BBC Article on Merseyside Prosecution Rates
The UKRPA has published its response to the recent BBC News article on the high level of prosecutions for electricity theft in the Merseyside area.
Please download the press release here.
Sentencing Council Publishes Guideline for Electricity Theft Offences
The Sentencing Council has published a revised guideline for judges and magistrates on the sentencing of theft offences. The guideline, which has been issued following a public consultation, will come into effect on 1stFebruary 2016.
Crimestoppers Campaign Conclusions
In Issue 10 of the Newsletter, we heard about the energy theft campaign being carried out in north-east England, led by Crimestoppers in conjunction with British Gas.
Ofgem statement on prepayment meters installed under warrant
27th May 2015
Ofgem has released a statement on the installation of prepayment meters under warrant:
“Installing prepayment meters under warrant should be used as a last resort by energy suppliers when consumers get into debt. It is a way to prevent a customer from being disconnected. Suppliers can only install a prepayment meter where it is safe and practical for the consumer to use”.
Crimestoppers launches meter tampering campaign
Crimestoppers, the independent crime-fighting charity, has today launched a campaign to tackle meter tampering, a common form of energy theft.
In addition to the increased costs that energy theft can place onto honest customer bills, tampering is a crime that can have very real and dangerous consequences like fires and explosions, which threaten the lives and homes of innocent people. Crimestoppers plays a unique role in tackling crime in the UK, by providing an anonymous reporting service for people to come forward without fearing the repercussions from the community or criminals themselves.
Black Market Britain
Channel 5 Catch Meter Tamperer at Work
The UKRPA recently came together with the team behind Channel 5’s Black Market Britain to produce a special ‘Undercover Benefits Cheat’ edition of their programme.
Utilita Accedes as a UKRPA Member
The UKRPA welcomes Utilita as the fifteen member of the Association.
In welcoming Utilita, Tony Thornton, UKRPA Chairman, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Utilita as a member of the Association. It is pleasing when organisations such as Utilita believes in the value of co-operation, and shared industry experience and intelligence that can take place under the auspices of the UKRPA. I have no doubt that other organisations will wish to follow in the footsteps of Utilita.”
UKRPA Responds to Ofgem Next-Day Switching Consultation
The UKRPA has today submitted its response to Ofgem’s consultation Moving to Reliable Next-Day Switching.
The UKRPA cautions that “the challenges of dealing with energy theft within even greater time constraints may exasperate the ability for energy companies to be able to deal with energy theft situations”.
The full UKRPA response can be found here.
Ofgem Guidance on Suppliers’ Rights in Case of Theft
Ofgem has published an open letter with guidance on suppliers’ rights and obligations in the case of gas or electricity theft.
The letter includes clarification for suppliers with regard to:
- Disconnection and meter removal
- Discontinuing supply and interation with the duty to supply
- Marketing gas / electricity to domestic customers.
The open letter can be found here.