REGARDING the scally chasing' article in Straight Talking by Peter Magill, I remember as a 16-year-old supermarket worker, supplementing my pocket money with the £2 or £3 an hour that they paid me.

I, along with several other 16-year-old boys, were relied upon as a deterrent against shoplifting.

Once I spotted a thief in the store who was stashing bottles of whisky behind tins of tuna for later recovery.

I took it upon myself to make things more difficult by hovering nearby.

It worked and the thief left, only to return an hour later with about 30 of his associates.

They'd come to give me a beating for being so observant.

I too witnessed the event that Peter Magill describes, at Sainsbury's several weeks ago.

When the young male shop assistant returned empty-handed I felt compelled to tell him of my experience many years ago.

I asked him what he would have done if he had caught him?

And what would he have done if he had pulled out a screwdriver or a syringe?

I remember hearing in the national press of a young shop worker murdered trying to apprehend a thief.

Sainsbury's should have trained security staff on the doors if there is a problem with security and not rely on our children to save their profit margins.

I would ask the Warrington Guardian and Mr Magill to appreciate the seriousness of this matter and not to continue promoting it as a sport.

ALAN PAGE Burtonwood