LONDON, Ont. - It may be time for Ontario to impose a "pay first" policy when it comes to pumping gas, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Friday.

"I think it's an option that we need to take a look at, and we'll listen carefully to the advice that we receive," he said at a community centre in London, Ont.

The government will seek advice from police, consumer groups and businesses, he added.

"But public safety has got to trump pretty well everything else," McGuinty said. "And we want to just make sure that we're getting this right."

However, the New Democrats said people are doing the "gas and dash" more often because the Liberals drove up the price of gasoline by at least 10 cents a litre with the HST, and reject the idea of forcing drivers to pay before pumping.

"It's a dumb idea," said NDP transportation critic Gilles Bisson. "To have a system where you've got to pay for gas before the pump is turned on I think is just going to aggravate people to no extent, and we as New Democrats would have nothing to do with that."

Concerns about gas thefts ramped up last week when a station attendant in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, died after he tried to stop a driver from leaving without paying.

Hashem Atifeh Rad, 62, was working at a Petro-Canada station when a driver began filling up on May 19.

Police said the driver was seen stopping just before the gas station and covering up his licence plates.

It's alleged he made off with about $75 worth of gas while the attendant, who tried to confront him, was struck by the car and dragged into the street. Rad died in hospital the next day.

Police say such fuel thefts are a growing crime known as a "gas-and-dash," which may be driven by recent volatility in prices. Many motorists have complained in recent months that they're finding it increasingly difficult to afford a fill-up.

Reports of pump-and-run thefts have become more common across the country and police warn gas station workers to take down licence plates and report offenders. But operators say some thieves use stolen plates or swipe invalid cards before fleeing.

Those caught stealing gas can be charged with theft under $5,000.

There's a patchwork of gas payment policies across the country and even in Ontario, McGuinty said. Some stations compel customers to prepay for their gas at night or after certain hours, while others do it all the time.

Although the governing Liberals played down the idea of adopting a "pay first" policy at the pumps last week, McGuinty suggested that he may take a second look.

Other provinces are considering it too. British Columbia instituted a pay-first policy back in 2008 and named it Grant's Law after Grant DePatie, a man who was dragged to death while trying to stop a $12 gas-and-dash.

Prepayment is also common at many gas stations in the United States.