Key Summary
- 90% of pharmacies report theft, abuse, or assault incidents
- Police response often inadequate—crime numbers issued but officers rarely attend
- Pharmacies forced to incur extra costs for security despite financial strain
Community pharmacies have been vulnerable to incidents of shoplifting, abuse or assaults, and a recent survey by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) found that 9 out of 10 UK pharmacies have reported incidents of shoplifting, abuse or assaults.
They urged for better NHS as well as police support to tackle the issue as well. However, many pharmacy owners are unhappy with the police response.
A recent LinkedIn post by the NPA chair, Olivier Picard, about an incident at his own pharmacy, Newdays Pharmacy, located in Reading, comes as a shocker and shows how brazen shoplifters have become.
He wrote in his post, “Whilst I was speaking with a patient about vaccinations, a man in a hoodie and cap walked in, picked items off the shelf, and walked out without a second thought.”
Despite being a dangerous scenario, Picard displayed courage to stop the shoplifter.
However, the culprit managed to threaten him and get away.
The police response left a lot to be desired.
Picard had promptly alerted the police, who initially gave him a crime number, “but later emailed to say they wouldn’t be attending and would instead send a crime prevention officer in the coming days.”
Picard wrote, “While I’m grateful for the response, I couldn’t help but feel something was missing. After all, my staff and patients deserve to feel safe.”
“Pharmacies are pillars of the community. We shouldn’t have to face threats and theft without support.”
“I hope sharing this experience sparks a conversation about what more can be done to protect frontline healthcare workers in community settings.”
“My pharmacy is based in one of the most deprived areas of Reading, but that should never mean we simply accept theft as “part of the job” or that it is an acceptable behaviour!,” he observed.
Many pharmacies have taken steps to increase security of their establishments, such as introduction of body worn cameras for staff and employment of security guards.
However, all these measures require additional expenditure, something which the pharmacy sector, which is under immense financial strain due to underfunding, can ill-afford.
