Tories urge Waitrose to reinstate worker sacked 'after tackling shoplifter'

Tories urge Waitrose to reinstate worker sacked 'after tackling shoplifter'22 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAlex KleidermanIn Pictures via Getty ImagesThe Conservatives have written to Waitrose asking them to reinstate an employee who says he was sacked after tackling a shoplifter trying to steal Easter eggs.Walker Smith, 54, told the Guardian he was dismissed from his job after 17 years, two days after a confrontation which resulted in a brief struggle before the man fled.In his letter, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the case reflected a "wider and growing problem" of offenders acting "brazenly and with little fear of consequence" and suggested Smith should be given back his job - as well as a bonus for "bravery and initiative".Waitrose said the reporting of the case "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," the spokesperson added.Philp accused the store of acting "disgracefully" by sacking Smith, saying it meant he faced losing his home.He said: "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."Smith told the Guardian he regretted his actions but decided to intervene at the store in Clapham Junction, south London, after seeing thefts there "every hour of every day for the last five years".He said: "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."According to the Guardian's report, Smith "grabbed" a bag the shoplifter had been using to place the £13 Easter eggs in, resulting in a struggle lasting a few seconds...