Eileen Fox, 56, said the shoplifter recently got behind the counter in the store in Bootle, Merseyside, as she this time stepped in after watching her nab bacon from the fridge
A woman who attempted to stop a thief stealing bacon by pulling on his coat sleeve has become the latest retail worker to be dismissed for challenging a shoplifter.
Eileen Fox has been fired by the One Stop Shop in Bootle, Merseyside, after tackling what she described as a “regular” offender, who scaled the branch’s counter in a previous incident.
She has called the decision to remove her “very harsh” following the incident on April 27 but the company maintained it told colleagues “never to risk their own safety” and provided training “on how best to respond to any incidents”. The 56-year-old was fired in writing on May 12 after an investigation by management found she had “put the business at risk”.
In a Mirror poll last month, a whopping 98 per cent of our readers said staff should not lose their jobs for trying to protect stores from criminals after a series of sackings. You can vote here.
Mrs Fox, who had been with One Stop since September 2022, told the BBC: “It’s very harsh what they’ve done, it’s very upsetting. They could have given me a written final warning. In fact, the union rep suggested that, but they said they’ve sacked me because they think I would do it again, which I wouldn’t.
She said the incident had happened “so quickly” and explained that she had “acted on instinct”. She added: “I’ve never done anything like that before in work or in my private life. This was a person who had shoplifted quite a lot but had escalated their behaviour and got behind the counter in the shop – he did this twice in the same day.”
She is now seeking advice. The BBC report that in the dismissal letter, seen by the corporation, a One Stop area manager told the worker: “You understand the policy and what is expected of you during a shoplifting incident. I believe that you were not provoked in any way to justify this behaviour or the force that was used on the shoplifter.
“Your explanation for the incident was that instinct took over, and you were not provoked, leaving me to believe that if an incident like this happened in the future again, your instinct would likely take over again and potentially put yourself or others at risk of being harmed.”
A spokesperson for One Stop told the Mirror: “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.”