Shopworker sacked for tackling suspected bacon thief

A woman who said she was sacked for challenging a shoplifter at the Merseyside convenience store where she worked has described the decision to dismiss her as "very harsh".

Eileen Fox, 56, said she confronted the suspected thief - who she described as a regular shoplifter - and grabbed hold of her coat sleeve.

The suspect, who collided with a metal stand, then ran out of the One Stop Shop in Randall Drive, Bootle, on 27 April while carrying packets of bacon. She is not believed to have been injured in the incident.

One Stop told the BBC it asked its colleagues "never to risk their own safety" and provided training "on how best to respond to any incidents".

Fox was sacked in writing on 12 May after an investigation by One Stop management found she had "put the business at risk".

The retail worker said she had been with the company since September 2022 and had yet to find another job.

She 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."

Fox said the incident had happened "so quickly" and she had "acted on instinct".

"I've never done anything like that before in work or in my private life," she added.

Fox also claimed that in her dismissal letter the company had "exaggerated" her actions.

That letter, seen by the BBC, states Fox had "followed" the shoplifter and then "grabbed her and slammed her into a metal stand".

Fox insisted she had not followed the shoplifter.

Rather, she said she had approached the woman grabbing items from a shelf and had taken hold of her sleeve.

Fox said the suspected shoplifter had lost her balance while turning away and had "bumped into" the metal stand.

The incident was reported to Merseyside Police by the store's duty manager.

The next day, Fox was called into an investigatory meeting with senior managers and suspended.

Fox accepted she had breached company policy by confronting the shoplifter.

But she said store staff had been uneasy since a robbery the previous week by a man who regularly caused them issues.

"Although I wasn't involved I was quite upset about it," she said.

"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."

In the dismissal letter, a One Stop area manager stated: "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."

Fox said she was seeking advice on whether to bring legal action.

A spokesperson for One Stop said: "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."

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