Supermarket shelves in Australia are virtually bare of essentials, where it first started with toilet paper -- and quickly saw things like bottled water, frozen goods, pasta, and more ripped from shelves over coronavirus panic.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the Australian government will be prosecuting those who stripped supermarket shelves of essential items, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) also says these people could be linked to criminal enterprises. Mr Dutton told 2GB in Australia: "We will come down on them like a ton of bricks... I believe they are the ones who have created this pattern of hoarding".
Dutton continued: "They (Australians) are following the behaviour of people who aren't purchasing for themselves - they're doing it for profit, and reasons that are unacceptable. If you have photos, or registration numbers, or if you have instances ... photos, intelligence or information, I want you to call Crime Stoppers".
Photos: My personal images from a Woolworths here in South Australia, taken yesterday 3/18/2020.
Australians could soon see police officers staffing Woolworths (a large supermarket chain in Australia), as well as officers at other supermarkets to "control hysterical panic buyers stripping shelves bare and causing public incidents" reports The Australian.
NSW police deputy commissioner Jeff Loy explained: "Police are making a concerted effort to ensure the security of shoppers and retail staff across the state amid concerns of panic buying due to COVID-19".
