The Great Facemask Robbery: Thieves steal 80,000 pieces of PPE intended for NHS and care home workers in £166,000 warehouse raid

  • Greater Manchester Police said they are hunting for the 'sickening' perpetrators
  • The three vile burglars broke into the site in Salford, on Wednesday evening
  • They spent two hours loading the PPE which was due to be given to NHS workers
Thieves have stolen 80,000 of protective facemasks intended for frontline NHS and care home workers in a £166,00 warehouse raid.  
Greater Manchester Police said they are hunting for the perpetrators, in what they described as a 'particularly sickening crime' given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The three vile burglars - two men and potentially one woman - were dressed in dark clothing when they broke into the site in Salford, Greater Manchester, between 9.30pm and 11.30pm last night.
They spent two hours loading the PPE – which was due to be given to NHS workers and carers – into three separate vehicles, a white Mercedes Sprinter van, a grey Volkswagen caddy van and a silver estate car.
Pictured: A box of the type of masks stolen in the burglary intended for health professionals fighting the coronavirus pandemic
Pictured: A box of the type of masks stolen in the burglary intended for health professionals fighting the coronavirus pandemic
The damage caused by thieves at the industrial site  in Salford, Greater Manchester, last night, after they broke the fixed shutter
The damage caused by thieves at the industrial site  in Salford, Greater Manchester, last night, after they broke the fixed shutter
DI Chris Mannion, from GMP Salford, said: 'It is striking how deliberate, 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 for the NHS and for care home workers, and at a time when we are trying to protect the NHS and one another against one common enemy – Covid-19.
'To know there are individuals out there who are prepared to steal the equipment that keeps the frontline workers and the vulnerable safe is quite frankly shocking.
Boxes and other medical supplies were left strewn over the floor after the thieves made away with vital medical equipment needed for NHS staff and care workers
Boxes and other medical supplies were left strewn over the floor after the thieves made away with vital medical equipment needed for NHS staff and care workers
The thieves stole eight similar sized pallets of masks in the raid and packed them into three vehicles
The thieves stole eight similar sized pallets of masks in the raid and packed them into three vehicles
Members of staff at assess the fixed shutter after the break in on Wednesday. Police are hunting the thieves who stole the life-saving protective equipment
Members of staff at assess the fixed shutter after the break in on Wednesday. Police are hunting the thieves who stole the life-saving protective equipment
'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.'
The PPE was due to be supplied to Yorkshire Council and Morgan Taylor, a Preston company which supplies to the NHS and care homes.
There is no clear CCTV of the incident and no indication the crime is linked to the previous theft of PPE from a healthcare facility in Salford.

NHS staff are left 'gutted, angry and in shock' after heartless thief steals essential PPE equipment in raid on health care office

A masked thief ransacked an NHS office and stole personal protective equipment (PPE) in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The vital items were stolen by the balaclava-clad thief during a raid on an office in Salford, Greater Manchester.
Alongside protective equipment, which is in short supply in medical facilities across the country as doctors and nurses battle the coronavirus pandemic, the masked raider stole laptops and some petty cash.  
In a post on Facebook, one NHS worker described the theft of the protective gear as a 'massive sucker punch' and said they felt 'gutted, angry and in shock'.
The office is a run by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, who run Salford Royal Hospital (pictured)
The office is a run by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, who run Salford Royal Hospital (pictured)
Great Manchester Police have launched an investigation into the theft, which took place at an office building in Windsor Street, Salford.
Staff working for Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust arrived at the office on Sunday morning to find it had been ransacked. 
The office is used by Salford Care Homes Practice, a GP surgery that looks after people in the city's care homes.    
A spokesperson for Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We are shocked and saddened that one of our community bases has been burgled and belongings stolen, including some items of PPE equipment.
'Our priority has been supporting staff based at this unit and ensuring they have access to the equipment that they need to carry out their roles.  
The items were stolen during a raid on an office in Windsor Street, Salford. The office is used by Salford Care Homes Practice, a GP surgery that looks after people in the city's care homes
The items were stolen during a raid on an office in Windsor Street, Salford. The office is used by Salford Care Homes Practice, a GP surgery that looks after people in the city's care homes
It's a testament to staff that service delivery has not been significantly impacted today following this incident. 
'We will support Greater Manchester Police in their ongoing inquiries.'
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police added: 'Police were called shortly before 7.50am on Sunday 12 April 2020 to reports of a burglary at an NHS building on Windsor Street in Salford.   
'Initial enquiries have established that an offender - wearing gloves and a balaclava - made off with a number of laptops and a quantity of petty cash from offices inside the building.  
 'It is believed that the offender also caused criminal damage to another building nearby.'

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