Moment 'Co-op superwoman' shop worker steps in to stop 'shoplifter' in his tracks as he sprints from shop
12 September 2024, 12:28
This is the moment a brave shop worker steps in to confront a suspected thief running out of the store with goods under his arm.
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The female staff member has been dubbed "the Co-op superwoman" for her efforts in a Stockport branch of the supermarket chain.
She was caught on camera pinning the apparent shoplifter up against a wall as he tried to run away with some meat and detergent.
The suspected thief was first seen running through the Edgeley Co-op as three staff members gave chase.
The baseball-cap wearing man also managed to evade a customer who tried to trip him up with an outstretched foot.
Warning: The below video contains swearing
But the female shop assistant proved an effective last line of defence as she ran towards him, grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back against the wall.
She could be heard shouting at him: "Do you want me again!? Do you want me again!", as she ordered him to put down the stolen items.
Three of her colleagues then came and retrieved the goods from the man.
The video was shared on social media, with the brave woman getting praise for her efforts.
One person said: "That’s one amazing lady." Another added: "Give that lady a pay rise now."
A third said: "Wow, that woman is a SUPERWOMAN! The way she grabbed him, you go girl!"
Caller Mike pinpoints 2012 as the moment there was 'no point phoning in a shoplifting offence'
Shoplifting reached record levels in 2023, with figures released in April showing that offences last year increased by 37% (to 430,104 offences) compared with the previous 12 months (315,040 offences).
That works out as roughly 1,000 shops being targeted by thieves everyday - or nearly one shop every minute.
It is the highest figure since current police recording practices began for the year ending March 2003.
Before the General Election Keir Starmer vowed to crack down on the "epidemic" of shoplifting.
M&S Chairman on shop theft
He said: "Nobody in Britain should be in any doubt about the scale of the crime wave on our high streets at the moment. The epidemic levels of shoplifting and the persistent plague of antisocial behaviour.
"Some people call this type of crime ‘petty’. But they don’t work in your shop. They don’t walk in your shoes. Don’t see the damage this does to your community."
Meanwhile the chairman of M&S told LBC's Nick Ferrari that police "are not interested" in shoplifting.
"Whether we like it or not, that's the way it's gone," Archie Norman said in an interview in May.
Last October, police chiefs announced a partnership scheme with big retailers including the Co-op to tackle shoplifting. Other shops participating include John Lewis, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Next.
Under the Pegasus scheme, these retailers agreed to pay £800,000 over two years to fund police efforts to treat shoplifting like organised crime.
