Convenience store worker sacked after tackling suspected shoplifter

A convenience store worker was sacked after trying to tackle a woman who she suspected was shoplifting bacon.

Eileen Fox said the suspected thief was “well known” in her town of Bootle in Merseyside and claimed she had been stealing from the shop for years.

The 56-year-old described in a social media post how she “grabbed the sleeve of her coat and in the scuffle she banged into a metal stand”. She added: “No one was injured in the incident”.

Fox was reportedly called in to an investigatory meeting with senior managers at One Stop and suspended the following day.

Despite her actions being “completely out of character”, Fox revealed that two weeks later, on 11 May, she was dismissed from her job.

“What message does this send to the thieves? Come on in, help yourselves, the staff in the shop can’t touch you, cause then they’ll be punished while you get away scot-free”, she asked.

It is the latest example of a retailer disciplining staff who have intervened amid a rise in shoplifting and theft even in more remote parts of the UK.

Waitrose was criticised after it sacked an employee of 17 years for stopping a shoplifter who had ransacked a display of Lindt Gold Bunny Easter eggs. The retailer faced public outcry over its treatment of Walker Smith, who was fired two days after he stopped the shoplifter taking items from the Easter egg display.

Morrisons also faced backlash after it fired 46-year-old store manager Sean Egan, who said he was sacked after tackling a repeated shoplifter, who became aggressive while being escorted from the supermarket in the Aldridge store, near Walsall, where Egan had worked for 29 years.

A letter from One Stop seen by the BBC states Fox had “followed” the shoplifter and then “grabbed her and slammed her into a metal stand”.

Fox said this letter had exaggerated her actions, as she had not followed the shoplifter, but had approached the woman grabbing items from a shelf and had taken hold of her sleeve.

A spokesperson for One Stop said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority, and our stores should be a safe place to work and shop.

“We ask our colleagues never to risk their own safety, and we provide clear training to all colleagues on how best to respond to any incidents.

“This training is alongside continuous investment in extra security measures, as well as close collaboration with the police to do everything we can to prevent incidents taking place in our stores.”