Starting Tuesday, narcotics such as morphine and fentanyl will be locked in time-delay safes at all B.C. pharmacies in an effort to cut down on armed robberies.
The province’s College of Pharmacists announced the move as part of its DrugSafeBC program, which will also require pharmacies to post signs alerting would-be robbers about the delays.
The college said there’s been a startling spike in pharmacy robberies over the past seven years, including a 200 per cent increase in the Lower Mainland from 2012 to 2013 alone.
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer said the value of prescription drugs has made local pharmacies a tempting target.
“Some criminals have been able to steal $10,000 worth of drugs in just 90 seconds,” Palmer said.
“These are violent criminals, including people armed with guns, knives, scissors, machetes, clubs, crowbars and pepper spray.”
Weapons are used in 92 per cent of all pharmacy robberies in B.C., according to the college, and the average robbery takes less than two minutes.
Fortunately, drawing out that process could be just what the doctor ordered.
The college said time-delay safes have a proven track record. A similar program introduced at 1.400 Walgreens stores in the U.S. in 2009 managed to reduce robbery rates by 76 per cent.
“We’re going to reduce pharmacy robberies, make it safer for pharmacists, safer for the public, and also reduce the flow of illegal narcotics onto our streets,” Palmer said.
