A manhunt is underway after personal protective equipment (PPE) worth £166,000 was stolen in a raid on a warehouse.

Some 80,000 face masks, intended for frontline NHS staff, were taken from an industrial unit in at Trafalgar Business Park in Salford between 9.30pm and 11.30pm on Wednesday.

Greater Manchester Police said that CCTV shows three people arriving in separate vehicles, wearing dark clothing. They broke into a van outside the industrial unit and released the handbrake to roll it away from the doors.

They then cut a hole in the shutters to get to the PPE and stole no other items. Detective Inspector Chris Mannion said it ‘beggared belief’ that the individuals could ‘strike at the heart of society at this moment in time’.

Coronavirus updates

Visit our live blog for the latest updates: Coronavirus news live

He said yesterday: ‘Today we have launched an investigation into a burglary that occurred overnight here at Trafalgar Business Park here in Salford, where an estimated £166,000 worth of protective face masks has been stolen.

‘We believe this burglary took place between 9:30pm and 11:30pm last night, and we have been working throughout the day to gather as much information that could lead us to the perpetrator of this crime.

‘Our enquiries so far have suggested there are three offenders in dark clothing, at least two of them are men and they were also believed to have made off in three separate vehicles. A white Mercedes Sprinter van, a grey Volkswagen Caddy van, and a grey silver estate vehicle.

‘It is striking how deliberate and calculated and targeted this incident was. The offenders were at the scene for around two hours, and no other items other than the PPE were stolen.

‘This is a particularly sickening crime when you consider that the PPE was intended the NHS and for care home workers. And at a time where we are trying to protect the NHS, and one another against one common enemy in Covid-19.

‘To know that there are individuals out there that are prepared to steal the equipment, that keeps the front-line workers and vulnerable safe is quite frankly shocking, and I am determined that we catch these perpetrators as soon as possible.

‘I appeal to anyone with information, no matter how small, to do the right thing and contact the police on 0161 856 5345 quoting incident number 42 on the 7th May 2020, or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article