Tories urge Waitrose to reinstate employee sacked over shoplifter confrontation

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Waitrose had acted “disgracefully” by sacking Walker Smith, who had worked at the retailer’s Clapham Junction branch for 17 years.

Mr Smith, 54, claims he was dismissed by Waitrose two days after confronting a shoplifter who was attempting to steal a bag of Easter eggs, leading to a brief struggle before the shoplifter fled.

He said he regretted his actions, but had been spurred to intervene by watching thefts at the store “every hour of every day for the last five years” and not being allowed to do anything.

Waitrose has said that reporting of Mr Smith’s case, based on an interview with The Guardian, does not cover the “full facts of the situation”.

In a letter to Waitrose managing director Tom Denyard posted on social media, Mr Philp called for Mr Smith to be reinstated and paid a bonus “for his bravery and initiative”.

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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% 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, 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.