There once was a time when organised crime would focus their efforts on practical, useful things like booze or designer clothing. Those days are long gone. Video games are where it's at these days, especially these fancy-dan next-gen ones.

Unable to steal a truck of PS3s because...well, there aren't any in Britain to steal, some organised thugs did the next best thing and stole a truck full of 360s. It must have been a decent-sized truck, too, because they snagged a cool 750,000 ($1,400,000) worth.

The lorry was hijacked when the crims persuaded the driver that something was caught under his wheels. When he pulled over, the thieves beat the crap out of him and nicked the truck. To add insult to injury, the truck was owned by Hellman Worldwide Logistics, who only last week had a trailer carrying 260,000 ($500,000) worth of 360s stolen from one of their depots. Tip to retailers: if buying 360s, avoid Hellman.

Staffordshire police have appealed for help:

"We are appealing for information from anyone who is offered these games in suspicious circumstances, such as in a pub, at a car boot sale or off the back of a lorry.

I'm glad they spelled out those suspicious circumstances for us. Here I was thinking it was perfectly normal to buy consumer electronics in the back of a shady British pub, from a man with a pirate earring and the name "Nigel". Luke Plunkett

Thieves pinch 750,000 Xbox 360 shipment [bit-tech]