Brave Supermarket Guard Confronts Bold Shoplifter, Sparks Discussion on Security Roles

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A supermarket security guard finds himself in the spotlight, celebrated for his bravery, having confronted a would-be shoplifter on a Tuesday evening in the bustling Countdown supermarket at Dinsdale.

Caught on camera, the well-timed intervention played out as the security guard gracefully obstructed a woman attempting to abscond with a trolley loaded with unpaid goods. Unflinching, the security guard firmly asked, “Are you going to pay for that?” as she endeavored to slip past him.


Remarkably, the woman gave no verbal response but continued to insist on bypassing him, as captured in the video. An intense struggle ensued as the guard attempted to reclaim the filled trolley, even as an accomplice tried to intervene.

Despite the escalating situation, pleas from fellow onlookers, including a particularly emphatic “it’s not worth it,” saw the security guard eventually relent and let it go. Nevertheless, his actions earned him the admiration of many witnessing the event, both on the scene and later online.

The phrase “the security guard did bloody well I thought,” particularly stood out from one onlooker’s account, specifying that while the guard did not make physical contact with the woman, he tenaciously held onto the trolley.

Unfortunately, an alternate perspective surfaced from another observer, who pointed out that the security guard should have released the trolley sooner, asserting that “I work at Countdown, and you’re not allowed to stop these people.”

The incident has drawn widespread attention online and spurred an interesting discourse on the roles and limitations of supermarket security personnel in mitigating shoplifting. It has led to a heightened appreciation of the security guard’s bravery, while sparking questions about whether supermarkets should employ guards if they cannot directly confront shoplifters.

Reports of the shoplifting incident reached the police, highlighting an attempted theft at a store on Whatawhata Rd around 7.40pm. The involved party ultimately left without their loot, thanks to the security guard’s intervention.

Countdown representatives opted to refrain from commenting on this specific occurrence. However, they have observed a disturbing trend of increasingly defiant, bold, and aggressive tendencies within their stores since the onset of Covid-19.

In a statement, a spokesperson decried such behavior as unacceptable, asserting that customer and team safety remain paramount to the company. To this end, they are reassessing their existing security procedures, citing various measures already in place such as specialized staff training for handling security predicaments, radio communication, CCTV, and store design aspects. They also have plans to unveil more of these strategies in the ensuing months.

The unprecedented scenario comes amid an alarming increase in retail theft, sparking measures like staff bodycams to combat the issue. One witness expressed shock at the audacity of individuals feeling entitled to take without paying.

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