Iceland gives job to Waitrose worker sacked for tackling a shoplifter
A Waitrose worker who was fired after tackling an Easter egg shoplifter has been offered a new job.
Walker Smith, who worked at the supermarket for 17 years, said he was ‘crying inside’ after being dismissed last week.
Iceland boss Lord Richard Walker threw a lifering yesterday amid growing backlash from people and politicians.
Lord Walker said on LinkedIn: ‘You’re welcome to a job with us. We even share the same name…’
Before Walker, 54, was offered a new gig at the frozen food giant, Tory Party shadow home secretary Chris Philip called the dismissal a ‘disgrace’.
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Walker says a shopper at the Clapham Junction Waitrose branch told him they had seen a man fill up a bag with £13 Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs.
After grabbing the bag from the shoplifter, the two tussled before the handle snapped, the eggs smashing on the floor and the thief escaping.
Managers called Walker in for a meeting, saying he broke Waitrose’s policy on not tackling shoplifters, and he was fired two days later.
Walker told The Guardian: ‘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: ‘I’ve been there 17 years. I’ve seen it happen every hour of every day for the last five years.
‘It’s everybody from drug addicts to teenagers nicking bits and bobs or walking out with bottles of wine in their arms. We’re not allowed to do anything.’
Walker said that his colleagues were like ‘his family’ and he worries how he’ll pay his rent without a job.
A GoFundMe for the former shopping assistant has raised more than £8,3000 at the time of writing.
Shoplifting hit a 20-year high last year, with 530,643 reported shoplifting offences recorded in the year to March 2025.
Yet campaigners warn that official figures understate the problem, with many incidents not reported to the police.
As many as 5.8million incidents of shoplifting were recorded in the last year, according to the Association of Convenience Stores.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis, as well as gangs targeting shops in particular, are thought to be behind the rise.
What has Waitrose said?
Waitrose told Metro today: ‘The safety and security of our Partners and customers couldn’t be more important to us, and we have policies in place to protect both.
‘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. 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.’
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