Waitrose's choice to dismiss a long-standing employee for confronting a shoplifter is sending a damning message to law-abiding citizens, it has been claimed.

Walker Smith, 54, lost his job after attempting to stop a thief from stealing luxury Easter eggs at the branch in Clapham Junction, south London. The move has triggered widespread outrage, with some shoppers even threatening to boycott Waitrose unless the man is reinstated.

The anger has intensified, with critics now arguing the saga effectively gives thieves free rein to target supermarkets - and even private homes - without fear of consequence. Jane Moore, a journalist and regular on Loose Women, said: "Mr Smith's highly publicised sacking is a charter for all thieves to conduct a supermarket sweep then leave without paying.

"It's yet another message to the weary law-abiding that the pro-active policing of our streets has all but been abandoned and we're now living with the Wild West mentality of 'everyone for themselves'."

Waitrose, which operates more than 300 supermarkets across the UK, has emphasised that standard procedure is to avoid directly confronting shoplifters and instead escalate the matter to senior members of staff. The retailer maintains that employee safety is of the utmost importance, which is why it upholds specific policies for handling such incidents.

However, having observed countless thefts throughout the years, Mr Smith took the initiative himself. Ms Moore, who contributes to The Sun, suggested in her column she believed the shop worker was justified in doing so. She continued: "No one is suggesting a return to the Victorian method of imprisoning kids, but when did the pendulum swing so far the other way that it's now deemed acceptable to do nothing about career thieves ransacking shops with impunity?"

"Retail crime has always existed but it now feels that, unless those allegedly in power act fast, what's left of our High Streets will soon be ransacked to the point of dereliction. And if left unchecked, who's to say those same gangs won't then move on to target private homes?"

Waitrose's complete statement reads: "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.

"We have campaigned for some time for more to be done to protect shop workers from offenders, including retail crime being made into a specific stand alone offence."

Organised criminal gangs are travelling hundreds of miles daily to strip shelves bare, a security expert revealed to the Mirror in February. Thieves are targeting luxury items, spirits, and even electronic goods, with many believed to be flogging stolen merchandise to make ends meet during challenging economic times.

However, speaking exclusively this week, Labour's policing minister insisted the Government is "turning the tide" on shoplifting.

Sarah Jones maintained that prolific offenders are finally being held accountable for their actions. The MP for Croydon West said: "Shop theft isn't low-level crime - it's lawlessness that damages livelihoods and blights high streets. We're turning the tide: more offenders are being charged, and we're tightening the law so these criminals face real consequences."