A 7NEWS political reporter has made a citizen’s arrest after a violent incident at a supermarket escalated, as Australia’s biggest chains plead for nationwide laws to protect workers from rising violence.
Security footage captured the frightening moment a man threw himself over the counter at a Woolworths store, allegedly hurling racist abuse and threats at staff.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Reporter tackles alleged supermarket attacker amid violence surge
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“This is an offender who had committed nine other incidents in our store with escalating behaviour,” said Sarah Faorlin, Woolworths head of violence prevention.
After Woolies workers called police, the man sidestepped one shopper and sprinted at another, with alleged threats of violence continuing.
That’s when 7NEWS political reporter Josh Martin decided to intervene.
“It sort of was escalating and that’s when I decided to step in,” Martin said.
“Probably wasn’t your standard rugby league tackle. It was more just to bring the guy down and not injure him, but just to make sure that the situation was calmed down.”
The incident is part of a disturbing trend, with Australia experiencing 270 violent incidents at shops every day. Woolworths staff have reported 7000 incidents this year alone, with 420 featuring some sort of knife or blade.
The repeat offender Martin helped arrest was slapped with a workplace protection order, preventing him from entering any Woolworths in the ACT. There, the protections have resulted in a 92 per cent reduction in reoffending.
Workplace protection orders exist in South Australia too, and the rest of the country has now committed to introducing them, except for Queensland and the Northern Territory.
“No matter where you are in the country, if you are an employee in a retail setting or a customer, you deserve that protection,” said Chris Rodwell from the Australian Retail Council.
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