Warning after spate of purse snatches in Cannock supermarkets
Thieves have been preying on supermarket shoppers in Cannock and Rugeley, prompting a police warning.
Customers had their purses stolen at the Morrisons, Aldi and Asda stores in Cannock on Friday and Saturday.
While another theft took place took place at the Tesco supermarket in Rugeley on Saturday.
In each of the six cases the suspects were described as of Eastern European origin and have been captured on CCTV walking around the shops targeting elderly people.
They typically looked for people with bags on display distracting the victims initially before snatching the purse.
In a similar theft an elderly person was targeted at the cash point outside of Lloyds Bank in Cannock on Wednesday, February 3.
Again the man was distracted and only realised money had been stolen later on.
A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman Deana Pritchard said: "Local Police Teams will be offering reassurance within the Town Centres and working with store security to try and disrupt this activity."
"Shoppers are advised to remain alert when shopping and to pay extra attention to their belongings.
"Make sure that your purse is not easily accessible to offenders and be aware of your possessions if you are distracted as this is when your belongings are most vulnerable.
"Bags should be kept close to the body and kept closed unless in use.
"Purse bells are available as extra security and are to be issued by patrols in the area.
