SECURITY guards should be given batons and pepper spray to fight off feral youths after the chaos in Clapham, according to a supermarket chief.
Iceland boss Lord Richard Walker has backed more powers for store security guards to tackle violent theft.
The supermarket tycoon, who is also the government’s official cost of living champion, told The Times that “just one incident of violence against my staff is too many”.
He agreed with an M&S chief who accused Sadiq Khan of failing to get a grip on crime following the chaos in Clapham this week.
Lord Walker branded the “violent nature” of the disorder in the capital as “horrific”
“We call it shoplifting, which sounds like a cheeky bit of pilfering, but actually we should just call it out for what it is, which is violent crime,” he said.
“I’ve always argued for more powers for security guards. You go to Spain and all the security guards have pepper spray and a truncheon, they don’t mess about.”
Thinus Keeve, retail director at M&S, slammed London’s Mayor for failing to tackle crime after this week’s mayhem in South London.
Gangs of marauding teens repeatedly tore through the Clapham during so-called “linkups” fuelled by social media.
The brazen mobs caused chaos in Clapham High Street twice in a matter of days, after similar scenes were seen in Birmingham last Saturday.
Shops including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s were forced to close early as cops fought to bring the chaotic situation under control.
One woman told The Sun how she was locked in M&S as hundreds of feral youths swarmed outside the shop – before being escorted outside by cops.
Keeve wrote in The Telegraph: “I keep hearing crime is falling, especially in London.
“Something none of us believes, and very few people working in retail would see.
“Without a Government seriously cracking down on crime and a Mayor that prioritises effective policing, we are powerless.”
He also called on Labour to clamp down on shoplifting, revealing how staff had been headbutted and rushed to hospital following horrifying attacks.
M&S chiefs have written to Mr Khan and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as the offences in their stores become “more routine”.
They urged the Government to make crime statistics more transparent and reveal the “true scale” of shoplifting.
Speaking on Wednesday, The Mayor of London accused people of spreading “false propaganda” about London being unsafe.
He said: “I recognise there is a perception around the globe about London being unsafe.
“Of course, one crime is one crime too many, but people are spreading false propaganda about the city because it serves their interests.”
Last year, The Sun reported how Lord Walker had pledged customers would be paid to snitch on shoplifters.
He said it would help the chain to lower its prices, as shoplifting was costing Iceland over £20million a year.
At the time, we revealed that Britain’s shoplifting epidemic was costing households nearly £150 a year as stores hike prices to recoup their losses and pay for extra security measures.
In 2024, Mr Walker demanded that images of known shoplifters should be shared on WhatsApp to protect staff.
He has previously blamed police inaction for an “epidemic” in shoplifting, claiming his colleagues had been threatened with a number of weapons and even left with serious injuries.
