Police search for two men after toilet paper thefts from supermarkets
Two men are being sought in Sydney’s southwest for allegedly stealing toilet paper from a number of supermarkets.
The pair went to supermarkets in Granville, Auburn, Bass Hill and Lidcombe, and accessed restricted storage areas on Sunday between 7pm and 8.30pm.
Police said the two appeared to be targeting toilet paper and allege they stole multiple packs from the Granville and Auburn stores, however, left empty handed from the stores in Bass Hill and Lidcombe.
Detective Chief Inspector Shane Woolbank told reporters they were all Woolworths supermarkets.
It’s further alleged that one of the men threatened an employee at the Auburn store with a knife.
Police have released images and video of two men they say mat be able to help with their inquiries.
They said one of the men is depicted as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, about 185-190cm tall, aged in his 30s, with a solid build. He has tattoos on his arms and was wearing a grey, collared shirt with long blue track pants.
The other is described as being 175-180cm tall with a slim build, aged between 30-35, and at the time was wearing black Adidas pants and a camouflaged hooded jumper.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott urged anyone with information to come forward.
"I support any measures taken by police to protect our communities from this sort of disgraceful criminal activity, " he said.
"The people of NSW will not tolerate criminal behaviour at any time let alone during this crisis.
"People need to grow up and look out for our most vulnerable.”
Det Insp Woolbank said “this sort of behaviour is not going to be tolerated”.
“To me it’s astonishing that somebody would deliberately target supermarkets knowing the situation we’re in and try and steal toilet paper,” he said.
He added those responsible were stealing toilet paper “out of the hands” of the “vulnerable and the people who need it”.
Det Insp Woolbank said police were taking the matter seriously and had established a taskforce to find the two men.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the online reporting page.
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