Footage from a Primark shop showed shoppers watch on as two security workers appeared to scuffle with a group of women in an alleged shoplifting incident
A shocking video caught the moment chaos erupted at a Primark shop when security staff grabbled with a young woman.
Footage appeared to show a tug-of-war between two men, wearing Hi-Viz security jackets, and several women as shoppers looked on. The security staff appeared to be trying to stop the women leaving the store in an alleged shoplifting incident. The suspects however appeared to escape by bolting through the door at the Broadmead Primark shop, in Bristol. At one point during the chaotic outbreak a woman could be heard screaming at staff while saying: “Let go of my bag.”
The shocking footage ended with staff talking to one of the women from the scuffle, who was left sitting on the floor.
Shocked viewers responded to the unexpected scenes after the chaotic footage was shared. It is not clear if items were stolen from the store or if the police were called to the scene.
One said: “Robbing from Primark, embarrassing.” Another added: “You know you are scraping the barrel when you resort to shoplifting from Primark.”
While a third added: “What is frightening is no longer the act itself, but the fact that we have long since become accustomed to it.”
Another person said: “All fun and games until the police kick your door down at 5am in the morning and arrest you.” The Mirror has reached out to Primark for comment.
This comes after Home Office stats showed shoplifting in England and Wales reached a record high last year. Over 519,000 incidents were reported in the year to September 2025 but many more are thought to go unreported.
A security expert, previously speaking to The Mirror, revealed some of the tricks pulled by the UK’s worst shoplifters. Andrew Cockerill, Account Director at Kingdom Security, said he regularly sees the “traumatising” impact aggressive thefts have had on retail workers and security staff.
Cockerill, who has been working in the industry for over 20 years, said the type of shoplifter he sees has changed significantly in that period. He explained that more organised criminals have taken to stealing from shops.
He said many go into shops with a list of items they want to take, and some will drive hundreds of miles a day to target different spots. The security guru said: “We’re seeing a lot more of the organised crime groups. With the stealing to order, we are seeing them coming with looking for specific goods, trolley push-outs with multiples of the same items.”
