Loot in the boot: Police nab toilet paper thieves

LONDON: British police said on Saturday they had discovered a haul of stolen toilet paper and hand wash products – in short supply due to the spread of coronavirus – after stopping a vehicle that had also been stolen.

Three men were arrested late on Friday for burglary offences relating to the dozens of packs of toilet paper and hand sanitiser, which have been hard to find in stores in Britain as shoppers rushed to stock up, and for the theft of the vehicle.

“Police officers always get a massive sense of satisfaction when we catch burglars… however we never expected to find this stolen loot in the boot,” the Operational Support Group of police in Essex, a county northeast of London, said on Twitter.

Police officers always get a massive sense of satisfaction when we catch burglars… however we never expected to find this stolen loot in the boot.
🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻
Stolen items recovered and 3 arrested all within an hour of it being reported 👍🏻 #ThatsHowWeRoll 🧻 pic.twitter.com/zeqY9CNEbN

— Essex OSG (@EssexOSG) March 20, 2020

Shoppers have been emptying the shelves in many supermarkets over the past week, with some wrestling over toilet roll and others hoarding everything from pasta to frozen peas as the government told people to stay home and avoid contact.

A billion pounds ($1.2 billion) of extra food have been squirrelled away over the past three weeks, putting massive pressure on supermarkets, environment and food minister George Eustice said.

Despite such appeals, not least from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and major supermarkets, shelves of meat, pasta, tinned goods and toilet roll were empty on Saturday in some London supermarkets. Some had brought in extra guards and set up special queuing zones.