Jeremy Vine says 'that's crazy' as he defends Waitrose worker sacked for tackling thief

Jeremy Vine came to the defence of a Waitrose employee who was dismissed for confronting a shoplifter on Tuesday's edition of his Channel 5 programme.

Walker Smith, who had worked for Waitrose for 17 years, revealed he was "crying inside" after being let go last week for attempting to stop a thief from making off with multiple boxes of Easter eggs.

Having spotted the individual racing towards the exit with a haul of Lindt Gold Bunny Easter Eggs, priced at £13 apiece, the 54 year old is reported to have had a "brief struggle" with the shoplifter at the Clapham Junction branch.

Just two days later, he was told he would be losing his position for breaching Waitrose's policy prohibiting staff from tackling shoplifters.

Following Mr Smith's dismissal, a Waitrose spokesperson stated: "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."

Discussing the story and Waitrose's statement on Tuesday's episode of his programme, particularly the section which stated "the reporting on this does not cover the full facts of the situation" Jeremy, 60, remarked: "Tell us, if there's more, tell us what the more is. You know, we hear this the whole time: 'Oh, we can't say exactly why.' No, you've got to say why."

Jeremy then declared: "If it is the case that he lost his job because he tackled a shoplifter, that's crazy, isn't it?", continuing: "You should lose your job for not tackling one!"

After a discussion on the matter, Jeremy joked: "I'm tempted to just become a shop assistant just to tackle shoplifters. I've got no interest in serving customers at all. I just think it'd be fantastic, wouldn't it? You could properly go in on shoplifters."