Waitrose sacked Walker Smith, who had worked for the supermarket chain for 17 years, after he tried to stop a shoplifter at the Clapham Junction branch in south London
Walker Smith became frustrated at seeing shoplifters regularly target the Waitrose(Image: Facebook)
Waitrose’s decision to fire a long-serving employee for challenging a shoplifter sends a scathing message to law-abiding citizens it is claimed.
Walker Smith, 54, lost his job after trying to stop the crook from stealing high-end Easter eggs at the branch in Clapham Junction, south London. This move has sparked outrage with some shoppers even vowing to boycott Waitrose unless they reinstate the man.
The fury has continued as it has now been argued the saga gives thieves the green light to target supermarkets — and even private homes — without punishment. Jane Moore, a journalist and regular on Loose Women, said: “Mr Smith’s highly publicised sacking is a charter for all thieves to conduct a supermarket sweep then leave without paying.
“It’s yet another message to the weary law-abiding that the pro-active policing of our streets has all but been abandoned and we’re now living with the Wild West mentality of ‘everyone for themselves’.”
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Waitrose, which has more than 300 supermarkets across the UK, has stressed standard procedure is to avoid confronting shoplifters and to escalate it to senior staff. It says staff safety is paramount, which is why it maintains specific policies for dealing with shoplifters.
But having witnessed numerous thefts over the years, Mr Smith took matters into his own hands. Ms Moore, who writes for The Sun, implied in her column she felt the shop assistant was right to do so. She added: “No one is suggesting a return to the Victorian method of imprisoning kids, but when did the pendulum swing so far the other way that it’s now deemed acceptable to do nothing about career thieves ransacking shops with impunity?
“Retail crime has always existed but it now feels that, unless those allegedly in power act fast, what’s left of our High Streets will soon be ransacked to the point of dereliction. And if left unchecked, who’s to say those same gangs won’t then move on to target private homes?”
“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. While we would never be able to discuss an individual case, we can assure you the correct process is being followed, which includes a standard appeals procedure.
“We have campaigned for some time for more to be done to protect shop workers from offenders, including retail crime being made into a specific stand alone offence.”
Organised criminals are driving hundreds of miles a day to ransack shelves, a security expert told the Mirror in February. Thieves are targeting luxury goods, spirits, and even electricals, as it is thought many sell these on to make money in difficult economic times.
But, speaking to us this week, Labour’s policing minister insisted the Government is “turning the tide” on shoplifting. Sarah Jones said prolific offenders are finally facing the consequences of their actions. The MP for Croydon West said: “Shop theft isn’t low-level crime – it’s lawlessness that damages livelihoods and blights high streets. We’re turning the tide: more offenders are being charged, and we’re tightening the law so these criminals face real consequences.”
