A group of yobs have been captured on camera brazenly stealing hundreds of pounds worth of Christmas alcohol in front of shocked shoppers.
Four men, dressed in big dark-coloured jackets, were filmed stuffing bags with bottles of booze despite a number of people looking on.
They filled rucksacks and carrier bags from other supermarkets with the alcohol before walking out without paying.
It is believed that the incident took place in a Tesco Express store in Cricklewood, London.
A Tesco Express in London was raided by four yobsA Tesco Express in London was raided by four yobsTwo men crouched on the floor filling up bags with items from the lower shelves, while the other pair grabbed spirits and wine bottles from the top half of the unit.
The men made no effort to hide what they were doing, with customers in the store left staring in disbelief.
No Tesco staff or security could be seen near the incident.
Police have now indicated they have launched an investigation relating to the stolen goods.
Police have now indicated they have launched an investigation relating to the stolen goods
The Met Police said: "We are aware of video footage which appears to show a man stealing items from a Tesco store in Cricklewood on Thursday, 21 December.
"An incident, which we believe is related, was reported to police on 21 December after the suspect had left the premises.
"Anyone who knows the identity of the person shown in the video is asked to call 101 or Tweet @MetCC with ref 2432436/23."
Statistics released by the Office of National Statistics in October indicated taht there has been a sharp rise in shoplifting over the previous year.
Shoplifting offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales rose by a quarter in the year to June 2023.
In total, some 365,164 shoplifting offences were recorded by police over the 12 month period.
The figure is also 2 per cent higher than the 359,236 offences recorded in the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20.