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The quick read: Thieves are drilling holes directly into vehicle fuel tanks to steal gasoline in Kelowna. According to a Global News report published October 14, Roger Dyck and his wife were leaving a Kelowna Walmart parking lot around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, when they smelled gas — fuel was pouring from their truck's tank and draining into the street.

They're not siphoning gas anymore. They're drilling into the tank.

On Saturday, October 10, at around 8:45 p.m., Roger Dyck and his wife were leaving a Walmart parking lot in Kelowna when they caught a strong smell of gasoline. Fuel was flowing from their truck and draining into the street — a hole had been drilled straight into the fuel tank.

Two police officers were nearby, pursuing someone else through the parking lot. When the couple flagged them down, the officers came over and said they believed the thieves had been startled mid-theft. The thieves got away.

Drilling is faster than siphoning, and it leaves the victim with a ruined tank on top of the stolen fuel. A locking gas cap won't stop a drill bit.

Here's what makes this sting. The criminal steals a tank of gas worth maybe a hundred bucks, and the working family eats a repair bill worth many times that — plus the lost fuel, plus the tow, plus the days without a vehicle.

It's a pattern Kelowna drivers know too well: property crime with no consequences, and the costs landing on the people who did nothing wrong.

Police recommend parking in well-lit areas and reporting anything suspicious, which is fine advice as far as it goes. But advice isn't a deterrent.

The common-sense question: what happens when these thieves are actually caught? If the answer is a revolving door, expect more drilled tanks. Until there are real consequences, the tanks keep getting drilled.

Check your driveway, check your tank, and keep your eyes open. Your neighbours' are too — that's the one security system nobody has to fund.