A man suspected of shoplifting from a Tesco store was subdued by police with CS gas spray as he tried to flee.
The alleged shoplifter was seen pacing back and forth at the supermarket on Swansea’s High Street as staff and a security guard stood at the front door, seemingly preventing his exit.
He appeared to be kept in the shop near the Welsh city’s train station until police officers armed with a stun gun turned up.
Cops then used CS spray to incapacitate him before arresting him. He has since been charged, convicted and jailed.
Eyewitness Daniel Mitchell, 29, said it was ‘clever’ of the shop workers to appear to trap the man inside.
Tesco sources, however, have insisted that it is ‘inaccurate’ to suggest that he was prevented from leaving by locking the doors.
Mr Mitchell, from Coventry in Leicestershire, said he had been standing outside the station when he saw the ‘commotion’ unfold.
He added: ‘I then realised what Tesco staff were doing. It was clever really.
‘They were calm and just made sure he couldn’t leave. No one seemed scared, just watching.’
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A man suspected of shoplifting was confronted by police who trained a stun gun and CS gas spray on him as they tried to coax him into surrendering
The man was seen pacing the aisles of the shop holding a bottle after realising he had been trapped inside by staff
Police then arrived and trained a stun gun on him as he threw up his hands – before spraying him with CS incapacitant
A clip shot by Mr Mitchell showed how the incident played out in a matter of minutes.
‘Tesco’s are now trapping you in if you try to steal. They’ve trapped him in, look,’ he said as a man was seen pacing back and forth in an aisle of the supermarket.
He was watched by uniformed staff and a security guard, who stood at the door, which was locked tight.
The suspected shoplifter made no effort to try to get out as it became clear he was trapped, as shoppers watched from outside.
Minutes later, a police officer arrives and pulls out a stun gun, training it on the suspect in an aisle as the man filming the footage remarks: ‘They’re not f****** around now, boys.’
Joined by his colleague, the Taser-toting officer steps closer as he continues to point the stun gun at the alleged thief.
Dressed all in black, the suspect raises his hands, seemingly trying to reason with the law as he stares down 1,500 volts of electricity.
Putting the stun gun away, the police officer then reaches for his CS gas and walks towards the man, pushing him into a wall of fresh fruit and veg and pinning his arm behind him.
The suspected thief tries lashing out as he’s led away, sending the police crashing to the floor and the security guard running in to help.
As the chaos is brought to an end in the store, another eyewitness chuckles: ‘That’s the way it’s done, isn’t it?’
He was subdued by police and a shop security guard after trying to struggle out of the officers’ grip
The suspected thief could be heard shouting and swearing as he was carted off to a waiting police van and later convicted of criminal damage
The suspect shakes his head and spits on the floor as he is brought to his feet and led out of the store to a waiting cage van, swearing angrily.
In common with other UK supermarkets Tesco operates a ‘non-confrontation’ policy when it comes to shoplifting due to the risk it poses to the safety of staff.
Workers are instead encouraged to take down details of the theft, or to report known banned customers or repeat thieves to managers, and for all incidents to be reported to the police.
Stores are understood to be able to lock doors from the outside to stop more people from walking in during an incident like that seen in Swansea. They cannot, however, stop anyone from walking out.
The supermarket has rolled out additional equipment to keep staff safe and to gather more data on shoplifters, including protective screens and body-worn cameras.
Last year, CEO Ken Murphy said his firm was spending tens of millions of pounds on ‘necessary measures’ to fight crime but said ‘they are still not enough’ to stamp out the problem altogether.
The tide does appear to have turned against non-confrontation in some stores: a would-be thief at a Greggs in Hammersmith, London was seen being held by his clothing as he tried to steal food and drink last month.
Security guards at the Broadway shopping centre – which forms part of the local Underground station – held onto him until he surrendered the goods.
Theft from retailers is thought to have increased 25 per cent in 2023/24 – a total of more than 20 million incidents, or 38 every minute.
It is thought to have cost retailers £2.2billion, while more than 2,000 incidents of abuse or violence against shop workers were reported every single day, according to the British Retail Consortium’s crime survey.
South Wales Police said a man was ultimately charged with criminal damage in connection with the incident and has been jailed.
A spokesperson for the force said: ‘Officers attended Tesco Express, High Street, Swansea, shortly after 8:30pm on Tuesday July 22 following a report of a man causing criminal damage within the store.
’44-year-old Adam Griffiths, from Penlan, Swansea, was arrested and has since been charged with criminal damage.
‘Griffiths pleaded guilty to the offence and has been sentenced to four weeks in prison.’
