Petrol thefts from motorcycles and vehicles have shot up by 50 per cent in the first six months of this year.

Between January and June, 41 such thefts were reported - 37 from motorcycles and four from cars. They occurred mainly in Woodlands, Jurong West and Bukit Panjang estates, in both open and covered car parks.

For the whole last year, there were 27 cases, eight of which had been solved.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng, who gave these figures in a written reply to a question from an MP in Parliament on Monday, said the number of petrol thefts so far is very small, considering there are about 145,000 motorcycles and scooters and about 725,000 cars and other vehicles in Singapore.

He urged owners to take responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are properly secured.

On preventive measures, he said the police have alerted residents and vehicle owners in the affected areas through the local grassroots and worked with relevant agencies and grassroots organisations.

In addition, the police have collaborated with Town Councils since June 2006 to equip public car parks with mobile CCTV cameras.