Co-op worker 'disgusted' after being sacked for confronting shoplifters at Norwich shop

A supermarket worker sacked for trying to stop shoplifters targeting his store has said he is "disgusted" by the way he has been treated by his employers.

Damion Moon, 33, was dismissed from his job with the Co-op after trying to stop thieves leaving with stolen items.

It comes amid a steep rise in illegal theft from shops, with figures showing the number of shoplifting offences rose by more than a quarter in the East during 2023.

Mr Moon, from Long Stratton in Norfolk, challenged shoplifters on three separate occasions at the East of England Co-op shop at Hall Road in Norwich.

He said his branch would be targeted daily - often several times - with staff feeling vulnerable every shift.

He said: "I've had one young girl threatened with a needle. I've had another colleague being threatened to have their throat slit.

"I've been threatened to be put in a choke hold. But it's frustrating because you report it, report it - but the next day they're still coming in, weeks later, months... nothing seems to happen."

Mr Moon said he had worked at the branch for more than seven years, and reached the position of team manager.

But the Co-op dismissed him on 15 May for what they describe as "serious breach of security policies and procedure".

It refused to discuss individual cases but said its policy on dealing with shop crime was designed to protect staff.

An East of England Co-op spokeswoman said: "Our security team works 24/7 to protect our colleagues and branches - last year the team made over 5,500 branch visits; that's more than 100 per week."

The Co-op said its security team worked with the police to secure prosecutions and lower levels of anti-social behaviour, adding that it had secured more than 1,764 weeks of custodial and suspended sentences in the last year alone.

Mr Moon said: "I do agree with their policy. You do have to keep everyone safe, customers and colleagues. But it shouldn't be so black and white. If a colleague is being hit in the face I can't just stand back and leave them to it."

He said he was dismissed after a disciplinary hearing and told he was being walked out of the door and "treated like a criminal".

"I was disgusted they would take it to that extreme, it seemed quite harsh to fire someone especially when you've got a clean record.

"I was trying to protect the assets, protect the business."

Lee Hammond, head of security at the East of England Co-op, said: “All our stores have advanced CCTV, body cameras and head sets and there are other systems we use to collect valuable evidence for the police to bring offenders to justice.

"Failing to follow our procedures can put everyone at risk and at every colleague’s induction there is mandatory security training that focuses on their safety and our security policies, [and] we regularly remind our colleagues of these policies and outline the support available to them."

There were almost 40,000 shoplifting offences in the east last year, according to police crime data, representing a rise of 27% on 2022.

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