Walker Smith - Waitrose worker sacked from 17-year job after stopping thief (Image: Facebook)
A former Waitrose employee sacked for tackling a shoplifter should be reinstated and given a bonus, retail chiefs have been told.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, in a letter to Waitrose Managing Director Tom Denyard, said “store staff and the public should be supported and encouraged to intervene”.
Walker Smith, 54, was dismissed after struggling with a thief over a bag of Easter Eggs.
He confronted the individual and “grabbed the bag”, but the person pulled it back. The bag split during the scuffle, sending Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs, worth £13 each, crashing to the floor. The shoplifter then fled.
Mr Smith then threw a piece of egg, "out of frustration", towards some shopping trolleys.
Mr Philp told 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 reports do not cover the “full facts of the situation” and pointed out that “nothing we sell is worth risking lives for”.
Recalling the incident during an interview, Mr Smith said: “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 diagnosed with anxiety, which he said his managers were aware of.
Despite saying he regretted his actions, he also told the Guardian that he was spurred into action by watching thefts at the store “every hour of every day for the last five years” and not being allowed to do anything.
Shoplifting offences increased in England and Wales in the year to September, but remained slightly below record levels seen in the 12 months to March 2025, the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures available show.
There were 519,381 shoplifting offences in the year to September 2025, up 5% from 492,660 the previous year.
A total of 530,439 offences were recorded in the year to March 2025.
Waitrose said the “safety and security” of their workers and customers is the reason they have policies in place to stop actions like those of Mr Smith.
They said: “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.”
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