Sledgehammer-wielding thieves run off with tills and meat products in late-night Tesco raid
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|GB NEWS
The balaclava-clad thieves also threatened staff before fleeing the scene in a white Ford Transit
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Thieves armed with sledgehammers threatened staff before taking meat products and money in a late-night raid on a Tesco, police have said.
Officers were called to the supermarket in Red Lodge, Suffolk, on Sunday at around 10.50pm.
A spokesman for Suffolk Constabulary said three masked men had entered the shop armed with crowbars and sledgehammers.
During the robbery, the men threatened staff before pushing past them and stealing items including the tills, meat, tobacco, and alcohol.
Three men threatened staff within the Tesco and stole items including money and meat
|The suspects then fled in a white Ford Transit van.
They were described as white men wearing dark clothing and balaclavas, two of slim build and one of large build.
Police said: "The members of staff were left shaken but were not injured during the incident."
Now, authorities are appealing for any witnesses or motorists who may have dashcam footage to come forward.
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Authorities are appealing for anyone with information or footage of the incident to come forward
|GETTY
According to data from CCTV operators Get Licensed, 85 per cent of shops now report meat to be the most stolen item targeted by shoplifters.
In August, a Labour minister was forced to admit that shoplifting was getting "out of hand".
Alex Davies-Jones, a Justice Minister, made the comment as it was revealed a record high of more than 500,000 offences had been reported to police in the year to March.
Later that month, new data emerged which showed that nearly 800 shoplifting offences reported to authorities went unsolved every day.
Alex Davies-Jones said shoplifting is getting 'out of hand'
|HOUSE OF COMMONS
Last year, more than 50 per cent of investigations by police into shoplifting ended without a suspect being identified.
In July, then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said extra officers would be deployed in 500 towns across Britain to crackdown on shoplifting and other anti-social behaviour.
Earlier this month, fellow supermarket giant Sainsbury's said it would trial facial recognition technology to tackle the shoplifting crisis.
However, critics have branded the scheme "Orwellian" and warned it could have "devastating consequences for people's lives".
Anyone with information on the incident in Suffolk should contact West CID at Bury St Edmunds police station, using the crime reference number 37/50683/25, police said.