75% of chemists have been hit by crime

As many as three quarters of Irish pharmacies were victims of crime last year, a new study shows.

Pharmacies are being subjected to shoplifting, robberies, and raids, with staff being subjected to knife, syringe, and gun attacks, according to a crime survey by the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).

Calling for tougher sentencing, more CCTV cameras and a more visible Garda presence, the IPU says that, over the last year, 75% of pharmacies were victims of crime and 82% of those pharmacies experienced two or more criminal incidents.

The survey was carried out among 120 pharmacies nationwide in the week beginning December 15, 2014.

In one third of the pharmacies robbed or raided, the perpetrators used weapons; a knife in 75% of cases; a syringe in 25% of cases; and a gun in 13%.

The survey by the IPU, which is the representative body for more than 2,100 pharmacists nationwide, found that 37% of pharmacists who decided not to report a crime did so because they felt the perpetrator would not be charged; while 16% feared reprisals against the pharmacy.

Describing the findings as “deeply disturbing”, the IPU vice-president, Daragh Connolly, said: “The level of crime is having a detrimental impact on staff morale. [They] are left dealing with the psychological aftermath of these crimes.

“This, coupled with the fact that crime is costing pharmacies across the country millions of euro in lost revenue, is severely damaging businesses, threatening jobs in the process.

“Clearly, criminals see pharmacies as an easy target.

“The level of sentencing when these criminals are caught is a joke relative to the impact the crime has on local businesses and the staff who are victims of these crimes.”