Mallya's plea challenging confiscation of properties to be heard on Friday

• The Waitrose sacking has widened into a debate on retail worker safety.
• Union data shows 59 per cent of staff want stronger in-store security.
• Retailers face growing pressure as shoplifting incidents continue to rise.

The dismissal of a long-serving employee at Waitrose is no longer just about one incident inside a London store. It is now feeding into a much larger conversation — how safe are retail workers expected to be while dealing with theft on a daily basis?

Walker Smith, 54, was let go after confronting a shoplifter at the retailer’s Clapham Junction branch. The situation reportedly escalated into a brief struggle over stolen Easter eggs before the items fell and broke. Within days, the story spread well beyond the store, not only drawing public sympathy but also raising uncomfortable questions about how frontline staff are expected to respond when crime happens right in front of them.