Sacked Waitrose employee needs to be reinstated and given bonus for stopping thief | Politics | News | EUROtoday

A former Waitrose worker sacked for tackling a shoplifter needs to be reinstated and given a bonus, retail chiefs have been informed.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, in a letter to Waitrose Managing Director Tom Denyard, stated “store staff and the public should be supported and encouraged to intervene”.

Walker Smith, 54, was dismissed after scuffling with a thief over a bag of Easter Eggs.

He confronted the person and “grabbed the bag”, however the individual pulled it again. The bag break up in the course of the scuffle, sending Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs, price £13 every, crashing to the ground. The shoplifter then fled.

Mr Smith then threw a bit of egg, “out of frustration”, in direction of some purchasing trolleys.

Mr Philp informed the Waitrose chief: “This case reflects a wider and growing problem. Shoplifting is rising sharply, with offenders acting brazenly and with little fear of consequence.

“Staff safety must come first.

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

“It penalises those 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.

“Mr Smith now faces losing his home and has spoken about the impact on his mental health.

“That is a serious outcome for someone who was trying to do the right thing. Waitrose should support staff facing this kind of behaviour, not penalise them.

“Waitrose has behaved disgracefully by sacking Mr Smith. I urge you to reinstate him immediately, apologise to him and pay him a bonus for his bravery and initiative.”

Waitrose claimed media studies don’t cowl the “full facts of the situation” and identified that “nothing we sell is worth risking lives for”.

Recalling the incident throughout an interview, Mr Smith stated: “I tried to stay strong and I didn’t say a word, but inside I was crying. They led me out the back door by the bins. I just felt demoralised.”

He added: “Waitrose is like my family. My friends are there. I was there for 17 years, I must have been doing something right. I’m not a bad or violent or aggressive person. I just got frustrated seeing this day in and day out and not seeing Waitrose do much about it.”

Mr Smith has reportedly been recognized with nervousness, which he stated his managers have been conscious of.

Despite saying he regretted his actions, he additionally informed the Guardian that he was spurred into motion by watching thefts on the retailer “every hour of every day for the last five years” and never being allowed to do something.

Shoplifting offences elevated in England and Wales within the yr to September, however remained barely under document ranges seen within the 12 months to March 2025, the most recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures out there present.

There have been 519,381 shoplifting offences within the yr to September 2025, up 5% from 492,660 the earlier yr.

A complete of 530,439 offences have been recorded within the yr to March 2025.

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

They stated: “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.”