09 March 2023 , 19:34
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A wanted man was found with a haul of stolen steaks and children's toys in his pockets after being chased down by police.
Officers spotted the man in Salford, Greater Manchester this afternoon and managed to track him down.
It was then that they found the selection of items, including large 21-day matured beef rump steaks, pork loins and various lego boxes.
Cops from the Road Policing Unit gave chase and the man was detained a short time later.
The man was wanted by police for six months on recall to prison, said the force.
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Sharing a picture of the items, GMP's Traffic Unit wrote: "Male wanted for 6 months on a prison recall was spotted by an RPU officer in Salford this afternoon.
Meat in some supermarkets is kept under lock and key (file photo) (Harry Wallop)"This criminal had the audacity to make the RPU cop get out of his 4x4 and chase him on foot. When detained he [was] found to have a large quantity of stolen property in his coat."
Earlier this year, some supermarkets reported putting padlocks on fridges to prevent customers from getting their hands on meat without staff supervision.
During the cost of living crisis, thieves have been known to target supermarket meat and then sell it at a lower price to hopeful customers.
Prof Joshua Bamfield, of the Centre for Retail Research, previously said: “Thieves target steaks because they’re so easy to sell on.
“They can sell them door-to-door or, if they take enough, sell them to pubs.”
Attempts by supermarkets to prevent people from stealing their meat are not new and shops have used a method of electronically tagging products since the 1980s.
In an unrelated incident at a Tesco Express in central London in January, shop staff shut away the meat to prevent thieves from getting their hands on the meat.
A sign read: "To protect stock and availability this door is locked. Please ask a member of staff for assistance."
The move was not Tesco policy, bure shop managers have the option of locking away meat if they so choose.
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