Drugstore robberies down 82% thanks to new technology: Toronto police

Toronto police say drugstore robberies in the city will drop by 82 percent in 2024 compared to this time last year, thanks to new technology.

Last year, a new mandate mandated that all pharmacies have time-delayed safes, which only open after a certain amount of time has passed after being unlocked. They are used to protect against narcotics such as oxycodone, morphine, and codeine.

Now, Toronto police, the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Ontario Pharmacists Association are all citing a decrease in pharmacy robberies. Toronto had 10 robberies this year, compared to 60 in the same period in 2023.

“The pharmacy robbery was very profitable. Every pill taken was sold for a profit and there was a clear demand,” said Toronto police Insp. Joseph Mathis at a press conference on Wednesday.

“By working together with our residents, law enforcement and industry partners, we can make it harder for criminals to victimize our communities and ultimately make Toronto safer and safer for everyone.”

Matys said criminals often use stolen vehicles in drugstore robberies, contributing to the region's car theft crisis. They also put consumers, employees and pharmacists at risk and sell drugs obtained on the illegal market, adding to the opioid crisis, he said.

He confirmed to police that he had been tipped off that criminals broke in after realizing they couldn't open the safe quickly enough.

“Criminals are easy targets, and once they find out that these pharmacies have time-delay safes, they leave,” he said.

The pharmacist hopes to increase enforcement of the law

More than 4,900 pharmacies in Ontario now carry the technology.

Ontario College of Pharmacists board chair James Morrison said the regulator first saw the technology's impact in British Columbia and Alberta, which were the first provinces to introduce it. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the latest to come on board.

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But technology works best when people know it's in place, he added. Therefore, all pharmacies, as well as at every public entrance and pharmacy counter, must post approved signs of their use.

“As a pharmacist, I know a lot of people who have experienced the trauma of a pharmacy robbery,” Morrison said, adding that employees fear going to work because of the threat of robbery.

“The more people who know about the use of these safes, the better chance we have of getting that message in the eyes and ears of criminals.”

Kiro Maseh is an independent pharmacist who owns Lawlor Pharmasave in Toronto. (Craig Cheevers/CBC)

Kiro Maseh, a pharmacist and owner of Lawlor Pharmasave in Toronto, said his pharmacy has been burglarized twice. He said he doesn't believe criminals face tough enough penalties to deter theft in the first place.

He said he hopes the effectiveness of the time-delay safes will come with law enforcement targeting the “ring leaders” behind organized pharmacy robberies.

“I think a lot of people go in and take their chances and wait … as long as the safe is open and then take what they want,” he said.

“If there's not a … drastic action from law enforcement, you know, there's not much that needs to be done.”