Young girl instructed to steal packages from doorstep

Police in Bel Air, Maryland, have released footage showing a young girl being directed to steal packages from a doorstep.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office posted CCTV footage of the incident to their Facebook page and warned members of the public to be extra vigilant for package thieves over the Christmas period.

The video shows a young girl, no older than eight, run into a garden, looks back to get directions, then snatch a parcel.

"Who uses a child in this manner?", police wrote on Facebook.