Caught on camera in Shanghai: Are these the world's dumbest thieves?

Surveillance footage of two burglars completely failing to break into a property has been released by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

The footage shows the pair trying to throw bricks through the front of the building to gain access.

But one object bounces harmlessly off the building - and then the would-be burglar's partner in crime manages to hit the accomplice with their throw.

The blow appears to knock the person senseless and they need to be dragged away from the scene of the 'crime'.

"If all burglars were like this, we wouldn't need to work overtime," the Shanghai Public Security Bureau wrote with the footage.

The video, released on Chinese social media network Weibo, has quickly gone viral, with more than 4 million views shortly after being published.

"You might not need to work overtime, but the nurses and doctors at the hospital surely will," one user replied.