Tories demand Waitrose to reinstate sacked employee over confronting shoplifter stealing chocolate Easter eggs | EUROtoday

An extended-serving Waitrose worker, reportedly dismissed after confronting a shoplifter, must be reinstated and awarded a bonus, in keeping with the Conservatives.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised Waitrose’s actions as “disgraceful” following the sacking of Walker Smith, who had devoted 17 years to the retailer’s Clapham Junction department.

Mr Smith, 54, claims his dismissal got here two days after he intervened when a shoplifter tried to steal a bag of Easter eggs. A quick wrestle ensued earlier than the person fled.

Speaking to a newspaper, Mr Smith expressed remorse for his actions however defined he was pushed to intervene by witnessing thefts on the retailer “every hour of every day for the last five years” with out being permitted to behave.

Waitrose has said that stories on Mr Smith’s case, primarily based on an interview with The Guardian, don’t embody the “full facts of the situation”.

In a letter addressed to Waitrose managing director Tom Denyard, shared on social media, Mr Philp urged the corporate to reinstate Mr Smith and supply him with a bonus “for his bravery and initiative”.

He mentioned: “Staff safety must come first.

“But dismissing a long-serving employee in these circumstances sends entirely the wrong message.

“It penalises whose who act, while offenders are left unchecked.

“Of course the police and this failing Government must do more to tackle shoplifting.

“But store staff and the public should be supported and encouraged to intervene as well.

“Otherwise, shoplifting will continue to surge unchecked.”

The incident comes amid an increase in shoplifting, with offences growing 5 per cent within the yr to September 2025, in keeping with the most recent figures.

Waitrose has mentioned the “safety and security” of their staff and clients is the rationale they’ve insurance policies in place to cease actions like these of Mr Smith.

In an announcement to the Press Association, Waitrose mentioned: “We’ve had incidents where our partners have been hospitalised when challenging shoplifters.

“Luckily, they have always recovered, but that might not always be the case.

“There is a serious danger to life in tackling shoplifters.

“We refuse to put anyone’s life at risk and that’s why we have policies in place that are very clearly understood and must be strictly followed.

“As a responsible employer, we never want to be in a position where we are notifying families of a tragedy because someone tried to stop a theft.

“Nothing we sell is worth risking lives for.

“The reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation.”

Waitrose famous that whereas it could not focus on Mr Smith’s case particularly, the “correct process” was adopted, together with an appeals process.