The humiliating shoplifting videos of a crimewave blighting London and making a mockery of Sadiq Khan and the police - after Waitrose sacked worker who tried to intervene

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:15, 7 April 2026 | Updated: 12:25, 7 April 2026 Humiliating videos have laid bare a crimewave blighting London after Waitrose sacked a worker who tried to stop a shoplifter stealing Easter eggs. Despite London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan's frequent claims the capital is a safe city, many of its stores are plagued by repeat thieves, shoplifting gangs stealing to order and thugs who can even attack store staff when challenged. Video footage shows how criminals waltz into stores and brazenly fill up large bags with products - from supermarket food to high-end perfumes and cosmetics.  Amid the uptick in retail crime, supermarket Waitrose came under fire this week after it emerged it had sacked a London employee for confronting a 'repeat offender'. Walker Smith, 54, had worked at the Clapham Junction branch for 17 years before he was fired after confronting the shoplifter after a customer told him someone had filled their bag with Easter eggs. A tug-of-war briefly ensued between the pair before the bag broke and the Lindt Gold Bunny Eggs spilled onto the floor, smashing into pieces. Despite his heroic effort, he was promptly sacked by Waitrose bosses as staff had previously been told not to intervene or approach shoplifters.  Waitrose has defended its decision, claiming there is a 'serious danger to life' in tackling thieves and its staff policies must be 'strictly followed'.  But it has been roundly criticised, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp of the Conservatives writing to the supermarket's Chief Executive Tom Denyard. A GoFundMe for Mr Smith has so far raised more than £7,000.  Video footage shows how criminals waltz into stores and brazenly fill up large bags with products - from supermarket food to high-end perfumes and cosmetics (Pictured: Liam Hutchinson, jailed for 12 months for thefts at Boots stores totalling £100,000)  In October, thief Daniel Cleveland, 33, was jailed for three years after stealing £16,000 worth of taps from B&Q in Bromley, south London  Waitrose shop assistant Walker Smith, 54, was sacked after tackling a shoplifter who was trying to steal luxury Easter eggs It comes after a series of high-profile shoplifting cases which have seen some perpetrators jailed for stealing up to £300,000 of goods. In October, thief Daniel Cleveland, 33, was jailed for three years after stealing £16,000 worth of taps from B&Q in Bromley, south London. He was caught on camera throwing the items over a fence while still on the shop premises to an accomplice. Elsewhere Bianca Mirica, 20, was captured stuffing cosmetics into her bag as part of a £299,000 campaign which also saw her strip perfume from the shelves of a Boots in Hornchurch. The Romanian national and mother-of-three was one of 16 people arrested as part of raids on a major shoplifting gang. She was jailed last summer for 32 months. And Liam Hutchinson was jailed for a year after CCTV footage saw him swipe whole shelves of Boots products into his bag, totalling £100,000.  Shoplifting offences in England and Wales rising by five per cent in the year to September 2025, reaching 519,381, as per the latest ONS figures. In London alone, more than 100,000 offences were recorded in the year to October 2025, up significantly from 58,000 in 2023. Yet the Met Police attended just 14,000 of reported incidents.  M&S retail director Thinus Keeve has blamed Sadiq Khan for failing to tackle retail crime.  'I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London – something none of us believes, and very few people working in retail would see,' Mr Keeve said.  'In fact, we see the absolute opposite in our high streets and in our stores.'  He added: 'It is worse in London, but it is happening across the country, and it is becoming routine because it seems there are no consequences. 'Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a mayor who prioritises effective policing, we are powerless.' M&S retail director Thinus Keeve has blamed London Mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured) for failing to tackle retail crime Bianca Mirica, 20, was captured stuffing cosmetics into her bag as part of a £299,000 campaign which also saw her strip perfume from the shelves of a Boots in Hornchurch  Mirica operated as part of a shoplifting gang - police arrested 16 members of the group His comments came after a large group of young people stormed multiple shops in Clapham, including the local M&S.  Mr Keeve said 'a large group of young people had ransacked a store' before assaulting security. Earlier this year the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, sparked anger when he blamed the shoplifting epidemic in the city on storekeepers. Appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee, he was asked about thieves who regularly clear entire shelves of products before leaving without paying. He said: 'We're determined to bear down on this. I recognise a very variable response from shops to shoplifting in their premises. 'We encourage them all to report it and the good stores have got really good security regimes and report it and help us out in ways that I'll come to in a moment. Some stores don't.' Sir Mark added: 'Some of them don't report anything, if we go there they don't give us the CCTV of the crime, they won't give us any statements, they don't give their staff time to give statements and they don't pay their staff to go to court to give evidence.' But retailers have said when they do report the crime to police, often no officers turn up. The Mayor's office admitted in December that the Met only attended less than half of shoplifting reports that had been assessed as needing officers deployed. In response to a question from the Lib Dems, his office said there were more than 100,000 reports between November 2024 and October 2025. Of these, 32,133 were assessed as requiring police attendance. Just 14,274 actually saw officers deployed to the store. Shopowner Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, founder of The Black Farmer, said last week that stock is stolen from his stores every single day.  'Shoplifting is the biggest curse for anyone in retail and it's getting worse,' he told the BBC.  'It's now at the point where you think is this even worth it?' The businessman previously resorted to hiring his own security guard, but had to let them go as he could not afford the monthly £5,000 cost. Meanwhile at larger chains, staff are routinely being warned they could be sacked if they try to intervene in ongoing shoplifting offences. With Waitrose firing Mr Smith, Co-op has also told employees they risk losing their job.  The Co-op was hit by more than 300,000 cases of shoplifting and abuse in 2023, with staff being targeted up to 1,000 times a day.  Shoplifting levels have doubled since the pandemic and rocketed by 20 per cent since Labour came into power.  Last year, fewer than one in five (19 per cent) shoplifting cases led to a suspect being charged or summoned, while 55 per cent of cases were closed without a suspect being identified.  In response, the government said today more than 3,000 extra police and community support officers are being sent to neighbourhoods amid efforts to clamp down on shoplifting and mobile phone theft. According to figures released on Tuesday, 3,123 additional neighbourhood police officers and police community support officers have been hired or redeployed since April 2025. Some of those officers, however, are still in training and are not yet on the beat. The Government has said it will do more for communities 'blighted by shop theft, mobile phone theft and drug offences', and last year pledged to provide 3,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of March 2026. In recent days, retailers have said staff on the high street are facing daily abuse and violence as criminals become more brazen. Ministers have vowed to recruit 13,000 additional neighbourhood personnel by the end of this parliament. Policing minister Sarah Jones said: 'Neighbourhood policing was hollowed out under the previous government. Communities were left to face an epidemic of everyday crime that all too often seemed to go unpunished. 'To make matters worse, too many officers have been stuck behind desks in support roles when we need them out on our streets. 'We're delivering the biggest reforms to policing in over 200 years and, crucially, putting 13,000 more neighbourhood officers where they belong - on the beat and fighting crime in our communities. The Government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities.' Ed Woodall, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: 'We strongly welcome the Government's commitment to increasing police presence in communities, which has led to a majority of retailers reporting better relationships with their local police forces. 'We now need to capitalise on this momentum so that more repeat shop thieves are brought to justice and taken out of the cycle of reoffending.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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