Forget about being gone in 60 seconds - this criminal gang took a completely different approach to fleeing the scene of their break-ins - they used a man on a mobility scooter.
Police on Thursday released CCTV images and video of the four men - one of whom was described as a “white man with a bald head” - following two robberies at pharmacies in Dagenham.
The footage included video of the getaway driver transporting a cash register from the scene of one of the break-ins on his mobility scooter.
Police were called at 3pm on August 10 to reports of a burglary at Paks Cosmetic Centre in Heathway where a burglary was said to have occurred between 1.37am and 1.48am the previous evening.
During the break-in, police said the thieves damaged the shop’s security shutters and stole cash.
A second incident involving the same four suspects occurred at Kry BA Chemists in Heathway three months earlier, on May 25.
CCTV from the chemists caught the moment that two men used a metal bar to dent the shutters and gain entry to the premises.
After the cash register was stolen, police said it was “given to a man on a mobility scooter who was then able to travel quickly away from the store”.
According to Mobility Scooter Reviews the vehicle favoured by the elderly and impaired generally have a top speed of between 5mph and 10mph depending on the size of the scooter.
Three of the suspects were described as white men of medium build. One had a dark beard and wore a black cap, blue top, black tracksuit bottoms, black trainers and light coloured gloves. Another wore a dark blue hooded top and white trainers and the third wore a dark grey hooded top, blue jeans and white trainers.
The man on the mobility scooter was also wearing dark clothing and his getaway vehicle was also listed as being “dark coloured”.
Police want to hear from anyone who may recognise the four men shown on CCTV or who may have witnessed either of the two burglaries.