Police have launched an investigation after a shoplifter stole over £80 worth of meat from a Tesco store.

The thief stole the goods from a store located Caird Avenue, New Milton in the middle of the afternoon of March 23.

CCTV images of a woman exiting the Hampshire store have been released by New Milton police.

Officers said they would like to speak to her as part of the investigation.

A spokesman for the force said: “Teams in the New Forest are cracking down on business crime.

“We recognise that shoplifting can often be accompanied by disorder, violence and threats, which creates an environment of fear for retail workers which is unacceptable.

“This is in addition to the impact that theft can have on businesses and consumers.

“The community are our eyes and ears, and we encourage you to keep reporting information to police relating to shoplifting.”

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They encouraged anyone with information to get in contact, either by phone or online.

Last month, popular bakery chain Greggs announced they would be giving staff members body cameras in an attempt to reduce customer attacks and theft.

The cameras, which can record up to 90 minutes of footage, have been rolled out at certain stores nationwide.

A sign explaining the decision has been installed in the bakeries. It reads: "Keeping Everyone Safe. To ensure the safety of our customers and colleagues, we're trialling body-worn cameras in this shop. Audio and video will be recorded."

The bakery chain follows in the footsteps of Tesco, Co-Op and Primark in rolling out body-camera implementation.

In September 2023, Tesco announced they would be giving staff body-worn cameras to members of staff after a rise in violent attacks.

The supermarket revealed that physical assaults rose by a third from September 2022 to 2023.

Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said that they had invested £44million in four years on security measures, including the cameras, but said that more needed to be done.

“Money spent on making sure people are safe at work is always well spent,” he told The Mail.

“But it should not have to be like this. Crime is a scourge on society and an insult to shoppers and retail workers.”