As many as one in 15 pharmacies across England may have been the victim of serious crime last year, as over 700 serious crimes were recorded by police, C+D’s Crime Investigation has revealed.
Pharmacy businesses need more funding to cover the costs of the security measures needed to protect their staff from crime, contractors have warned.
Track the biggest pharmacy crime stories from the past 12 months
The C+D Crime Investigation has revealed a bizarre range of offences committed in pharmacies ranging from assault using a snowball to a restraining order breach.
Shoplifting remains a major problem for pharmacies in England, Essex Police said there had been 387 cases of shoplifting in pharmacies between January 2010 and October 22, 2010.
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“Any crime committed in a pharmacy is one too many, and of course pharmacists will take all measures necessary to protect both their staff and their stock.”
Sue Sharpe, chief executive, PSNC
“Verbal abuse against colleagues remains high and criminal damage is on the rise. We encourage our branch colleagues to report all crimes to the police and have various measures in place to minimise risk, including colleague training and an annual physical security risk assessment.”
Janice Perkins, pharmacy superintendent, the Co-operative Pharmacy
“I hope that, if nothing else, this publicity makes pharmacists think about their security and how they can prevent attacks.”
Mimi Lau, director of professional services, Numark
“In 2010, Rowlands had 606 incident reports, ranging from reports of verbal abuse through to armed robberies. Staff are often unwilling to provide statements due to a fear of retribution, so any crime captured on CCTV is reported to the police.”
Spokesperson, Rowlands Pharmacy
“The impact of crime on pharmacists can be extremely damaging and in extreme cases can lead to long absences from work due to stress.”
Spokesperson, Pharmacist Support
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