CCTV shows the moment a child was used by two men to steal from a charity shop.
Scotland Yard released footage of a man instructing the boy, as young as five years old, to take a mobile phone from behind the till of a Cancer Research store in Wimbledon, south-west London, while an accomplice was reportedly distracting staff.
The boy is then seen lifting up his top and hiding the phone down the front of his trousers.
The men then left the store with the shop assistant's phone and with women's clothing which they did not pay for, the Metropolitan Police said.
Officers were called at around 3.45pm on October 11 to the store in High Street, Wimbledon, to reports of the theft.
The boy is believed to be aged around five and police described him as white with short brown hair.
They said the first suspect was a large white man in his early 30s with a brown beard, while the second was a large white man in his late 20s.
Pc Sue Clarke said: "We are keen to identify the two men in the CCTV footage who appear to use the child in their care to steal from those working in a Cancer Research shop. We would also urge anyone who witnessed the incident to contact us."
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Additional reporting by Press Association
