A shop worker who was sacked for trying to challenge brazen shoplifters at a city supermarket has called the decision “bizarre”.
Damion Moon, 33, had run-ins on three separate occasions with burglars at an East of England co-op in Norfolk over a few weeks.
Moon, a team manager for seven and a half years, said he couldn’t believe he was penalized for trying to protect the shop.
His attempts to stop the thieves have led to him being fired for not having followed company procedures, and an appeal against this decision was also dismissed.
He said: “The Co-op was so cold in the way they handled it, they said they fired me and walked me to the door, like I was one of the criminals.”
“It’s really disgusting – there is no mandatory training for when you experience abusive or drunk behaviour.”
Damion Moon (pictured), 33, had run-ins on three separate occasions with thieves at an East of England co-op in Norfolk over a few weeks.
“People can come in, steal whatever they want and leave again; there’s nothing to stop a large group from coming in and looting the place.”
“But if you try to help protect the store or someone, you get fired.”
The company fired Mr. Moon on May 15 after a disciplinary hearing focused on “serious violations” of safety policy and procedures and failure to comply with a reasonable request from management.
Mr Moon said: “I told them at my disciplinary hearing that it has been a bad week with three unprecedented incidents.
‘On March 16, it was just me and another colleague in the store. I was checking stock and looked at the cameras to tell my colleague that I was going to take a break.
“I saw a man behind the kiosk filling his coat with tobacco so I ran out and my colleague was trying to stop me from taking more.
“I tried to defuse the situation by standing behind him, but Co-Op said I blocked his exit so he couldn’t leave and that was a serious security breach.”
In an incident on March 22, one of Mr. Moon’s colleagues was beaten by a thief after successfully stealing bottles of wine.
Moon explained: “A woman was filling her bag with wine and broke a bottle.
‘I heard security on my headphones and saw she was trying to leave. When one of my colleagues confronted her, she was punched in the face during the altercation.
‘Another colleague of mine asked me if she should go after the thief and, although I didn’t tell her to go, she went anyway.
“They told me I would put his life at risk by allowing him to leave the store.”
In the latest incident, on March 29, Mr Moon was told that by taking three steps out of the store to tell a shoplifter he had been banned, he had breached security.
He said: ‘I noticed someone had been taking snacks, cereal boxes that sort of thing.
‘I took three steps out of the store to tell him that he would be reported and banned from the store. They said it was a security breach.
‘These thieves know they can get away with it and that’s why they come and do it. There’s nothing stopping them from showing up in a large group and storming the place.
Moon filed an appeal against his dismissal on May 22, and was told on Tuesday it had been denied.
He said: ‘They said you knew the policies and we are not going to reverse the decision.
‘It’s strange that they penalize me for trying to protect the store.
“I have a clean record and I have never been disciplined before.
Mr Moon had been team manager of the Norfolk branch (pictured) for seven and a half years.
‘I told them it was unfair: they never told me about the incidents individually, they put them all in one hearing.
“I haven’t had the mandatory training to deal with abuse and drunken behavior – their training is to make your presence known and don’t approach them – but what do you do when someone is assaulted or someone hides behind a kiosk?”
Moon added that he has applied for universal credit to cover his loss of income.
He said: ‘I’m lucky to have savings to get by, but I have bills to pay, rent and a car. If I don’t find work in the next few months I could end up losing everything.’
A spokeswoman for the East of England Co-operative said: “While we cannot comment on individual cases, we prioritize people over properties.”
‘The safety and well-being of our colleagues and customers is one of our top priorities, and our policies are designed to protect them both.
‘Failure to follow these procedures can put everyone at risk.
“We regularly remind our colleagues of these policies and the support available to them, but they should not put themselves or others in danger when faced with shoplifting.”