A long-serving Waitrose employee, reportedly dismissed after confronting a shoplifter, should be reinstated and awarded a bonus, according to the Conservatives.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised Waitrose’s actions as “disgraceful” following the sacking of Walker Smith, who had dedicated 17 years to the retailer’s Clapham Junction branch.
Mr Smith, 54, claims his dismissal came two days after he intervened when a shoplifter attempted to steal a bag of Easter eggs. A brief struggle ensued before the individual fled.
Speaking to a newspaper, Mr Smith expressed regret for his actions but explained he was driven to intervene by witnessing thefts at the store “every hour of every day for the last five years” without being permitted to act.
Waitrose has stated that reports on Mr Smith’s case, based on an interview with The Guardian, do not encompass the “full facts of the situation”.
In a letter addressed to Waitrose managing director Tom Denyard, shared on social media, Mr Philp urged the company to reinstate Mr Smith and provide him with a bonus “for his bravery and initiative”.
He said: “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 a rise in shoplifting, with offences increasing 5 per cent in the year to September 2025, according to the latest figures.
Waitrose has 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.
In a statement to the Press Association, Waitrose 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.”
Waitrose noted that while it would not discuss Mr Smith’s case specifically, the “correct process” was followed, including an appeals procedure.