Have-a-go hero, 58, stabbed inside Boots in horror high street attack

A man who tried to stop an alleged shoplifter from fleeing a Boots was stabbed. The 58-year-old was reportedly trying to help security guards at the shop in Kilburn High Road, London, when he was allegedly attacked.

The have-a-go hero was left with stab wounds after the incident on Friday (October 30). He was taken hospital by paramedics.

A spokesperson from Scotland Yard said the man’s injuries were not life-changing.

They said police were called to reports of a stabbing at 10.30am and officers responded along with the London Ambulance Service.

The spokesperson said: “The 58-year-old member of the public is understood to have intervened alongside the store’s security staff to prevent a shoplifter from leaving the pharmacy.”

No one has been arrested. Urgent enquiries continue to locate the suspect.

News of the incident comes after the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said pharmacists are at higher risk of crime because they stock products that put them at higher risk of crime, such as prescription medicines and controlled drugs.

Some 93% of pharmacies that reported criminal incidents to the police in the last year felt they had an insufficient response, an NPA poll found.

The survey of 402 pharmacies across the UK also found in the last year 89% experienced shoplifting, 11% had burglary attempts to steal prescription medicines and 21% had reported criminal damage.

35% reported staff members had been assaulted and 3% experienced sexual assaults on staff. Almost one in three (30%) pharmacists said they did not bother reporting incidents to the police, citing concerns about response time, although 70% did make reports. Overall, 98% said they believe crimes in pharmacies have risen throughout their careers.

Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for retail crime, said: “We are acutely aware of the challenges faced by retail workers, including those in pharmacies, who are subjected to abuse and violence by offenders.

“The policing response has been strengthened significantly across the whole business sector, and the forthcoming offence of assault against a retail worker is expected to provide further protection and help reduce incidents of violence and abuse.”