A member of staff at a Norfolk supermarket has claimed that shoplifting at the store is "out of control" and that staff are "powerless" to act.

The worker, who asked not to be named, said there had been a significant rise in thefts from the shop at the Co-op on Magdalen Way, Gorleston.

They added that staff were told by managers not to intervene if they spotted an offence - for their own safety - and that this meant the thieves were becoming increasingly brazen.
 

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The worker said: "The thieves are making no effort to even be discreet. They are grabbing meat and cases of beer, or whatever they want, and are blatantly just walking out.

"We are told by our bosses not to stop them in case they react aggressively and harm us so essentially we are powerless."

A spokesman for the East of England Co-op Food Store said they were aware of recent thefts" and defended the company policy of not allowing staff to try to stop thieves themselves.

"We’re aware of recent thefts at our Food store on Magdalen Way," he added.

"We have procedures in place for our colleagues to follow when they witness shoplifting in our stores.

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"This includes reporting details to our security team, who provide 24/7 support from our fully accredited alarm receiving centre, as well as to the police.

"We ask our colleagues to never intervene under any circumstances to protect their own safety and that of their colleagues.

"Challenging shoplifters not only puts the colleague at risk of harm, but can also put other colleagues and customers at risk too.

"We operate a ‘people before property’ policy."East of England Co-OpEast of England Co-Op (Image: Submitted)

Last week, two shoplifters were jailed for a series of thefts in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, including the Co-op store.

The East of England Co-op has been criticised by its own staff over its shoplifter policy before.

Earlier this year, a worker was sacked from his post at the branch in Hall Road, Norwich, after trying to challenge thieves on three occasions.

Team manager Damion Moon had worked at the shop for seven years but was dismissed for "serious breach of security policies and procedures".

Chief constable, Paul SanfordChief Constable, Paul Sanford of Norfolk police (Image: Denise Bradley)

Like other parts of the UK, Norfolk has seen a surge in shoplifting.

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However, chief constable Paul Sanford has recently trumpeted his force's success in tackling the crime.

Norfolk police's charging rate for the thefts is 31.7 per cent — compared with 5.5 per cent for the Metropolitan Police.

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