The reports of pharmacy break-ins and robberies continue to rise every year. The probability of a robbery is now very high, with more than 700 robberies reported per year. However, there are ten times more robberies and break-ins than the statistics show. That leaves us at about 7000 pharmacy robberies per year, which are quite scary. One of the reasons for the rise in pharmacy burglaries is a rise in drug abuse.
According to pharmacy theft statistics by Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company, burglars gain access through the doors or windows, more than 72% of the time. Over 70% of the content that is stolen during a pharmacy robbery is prescription narcotics. While the police take an average of about 5 minutes to respond, burglars can be in and out of a pharmacy in 2 minutes. Prescription narcotics do have a lot of money over its head. So, it’s understandable why pharmacies are a major financial target even if the robbers don’t go there for cash.
None of these statistics is encouraging for any pharmacy. At this rate, all pharmacies are vulnerable unless they take major steps to protect themselves and prevent these break-ins. If your pharmacy hasn’t been robbed before, you’re in luck, but you need to take serious security steps now. If your pharmacy has been robbed already, you’re still very vulnerable and also need to take urgent steps. Thankfully, it is much easier for you to protect your pharmacy than for a burglar to successfully break-in. Here are some steps that you can take to protect your pharmacy from getting robbed.
Get a good alarm system
It is vital to put in place a good alarm system for your pharmacy. While many pharmacies might already have this in place, a major problem during pharmacy robberies are system failures. It is commonly reported that these alarms only work in about 60% of the time. There might also be cases of false alarm. This is why it is crucial not just to use an alarm system but a very good and improved one. Here are some tips for putting your alarm system in place.
- Make sure the alarm system is verified: many times, responding to alarms isn’t a major priority for law enforcement officers because of the regular false alarms. If you’re able to verify the presence of burglars in your building with videos, the priority will be higher for police.
- The system has to be hard to disable: it is common for burglars to cut off the line, so the alarm is shut off. So, you need to have a cell phone backup or another secure line. You should consider using a zero-delay alarm requiring a remote device to disable. Delaying for up to 45 seconds while trying to input the alarm code gives the burglar half of the time they need to rob you successfully.
- Trigger responses: you may put off the light in the prescription section after closing hours. In this case, make sure your alarm can turn the lights on as soon as it goes off. Also, it should have a very loud siren sound to call the attention of nearby people.
- Cover everywhere: when placing your motion sensors, check that they are well placed and ensure that your back offices are also protected. Cover the part of the motion sensor that shows the light when it is activated with a tape. This will ensure that the robbers don’t know where to avoid during their robbery.
- Be there: once your alarm is triggered, be sure to move to your pharmacy immediately. You’re likely to meet the police there already. Allowing them to enter means that they can see the scene and what’s amiss. Otherwise, they might just leave without getting the burglar that came in through the roof, even though they might still be inside.
Use a purpose-built pharmacy protection safe with audit capabilities
Many pharmacy owners don’t like to entertain the idea of using a safe and locking up their medications in it. This is because they fear that during an armed robbery, they won’t be able to open the safe. The reality is that this scenario is very rare. It’s unlikely that robbers walk into your pharmacy, holding a gun to your head like a bank robbery. What’s more common is for them to break-in in your absence and cart away with their preferred drugs (which in most cases is prescription narcotics).
By using a purpose-built pharmacy safe, you’ll be keeping your medications safe from robbers as they’ll be unable to simply crack it open. The audit capabilities will also ensure that you can always account for each prescription kept in the safe.
Using a safe is also very likely to deter the burglars or robbers from robbing your pharmacy at all. Pharmacy robbers, in most cases, are not total strangers. Many times, they’ve patronized the pharmacy two times or more. Sometimes they do this to check out the pharmacy and get information about the layout before breaking in. Once they notice that you use a safe to store your medications, it will likely deter them. Pharmacy robbers don’t spend much time during the robbery – they don’t have much before the police come. Statistics put the time they spend robbing at 2 minutes. They’ll need a lot more time if they have to deal with a safe. So, it’s not worth the risk for them.
Stay on alert with your staff
You and your staff have to be alive and alert to the responsibilities you have to protect your pharmacy. At no time should anyone wander around your pharmacy, and no one is approaching them or talking to them. These burglars often observe security systems first and the vigilance of the staff. Approaching them and simply asking how you can help might shake them a little and make them feel unwelcome. Also, watch out for uncommon behaviors such as someone staying longer than normal at the prescription counter. They might just be checking out your drugs.
Also, for the sake of security, make sure that everyone that comes into your pharmacy is recognizable. Make sure that everyone that comes in takes off their hoodies, hats, sunglasses, and every other thing covering their face and can prevent identifying them.
Be wary of inside help
If a burglar gets help from an employee before breaking in, it’s quite easy to tell. From the video of the burglary, if they seem to move to specific points to pick specific drugs, then they likely have an insider. They have a knowledge of the exact locations of the different drugs they came for, and this is a big sign that they got inside help.
Running criminal background checks on your candidates and employees is now very important. Speak to their references and try to verify their level of education too. Your long-term employees may also be at risk. They could be drug addicts too or are trying to help someone that they know. They might also be facing financial pressure at the time. Whatever it is, be on the lookout for warning signs which could be behavioral change. Also, change your alarm codes as soon as you change employees for the sake of security.
Final Thoughts
If you are not watchful and careful enough to take the necessary steps to protect your pharmacy, you will get robbed. Robbers mostly require 2 minutes to rob a pharmacy, so you should do all you can to mess that timing up for them. With a purpose-built pharmacy safe, a well-built alarm system, and other safety measures, you’re likely never to get robbed.
