The day job might involve a lot of stress, but fighting crime shouldn’t have to be on the to-do list as well. If pharmacists are to ensure patients receive their medicines safely and quickly, they need to be free to work in a safe environment. Yet for many pharmacists this reality can feel a long way off.

This year the C+D and PDA Salary Survey found almost one in three pharmacists had been the victim of or a witness to a crime at work in the last year, with common crimes including shoplifting and even knife crime. And the sector is not alone as the British Retail Consortium’s latest crime survey shows the number of thefts from shops is increasing and incidents of violence and abuse against shop staff more than doubled in 2009.

The consortium says the risk of violence and abuse should never be regarded as part of the job, and pharmacy leaders agree people working in dispensaries should be safe. If pharmacists and staff fear crime they are likely to be more stressed, which could lead to errors as well as impacting on their own wellbeing. As Alan Ledbrook, national loss prevention manager at Lloydspharmacy, says: “There is undoubtedly an impact on morale if employees do not feel safe within the workplace.”

So what can you do to help protect your pharmacy from crime?

The most commonly reported crime in most pharmacies is shoplifting. Lloydspharmacy says robberies when the offenders may be armed, attempted robbery, physical assault, threatening behaviour and verbal abuse account for only 5 per cent of offences reported in its pharmacies. But all pharmacies are different and Boots pharmacist Angela Chalmers says in her Holloway Road store the most common risk is verbal abuse.

Being prepared is the key to preventing most of these crimes. As Romeo Richards from retail loss prevention company Richards International Group says, shoplifting in particular is a crime of opportunity, but “remove the opportunity and you reduce the possibility”.

Employers have a duty to protect their staff from crime, so find out what measures are in place in your pharmacy if you don’t already know. Boots, for example, has a compulsory violence and aggression training module along with store security guards and other measures.

Mr Richards says key points are to ensure the pharmacy has policies and procedures for dealing with shoplifting – you could even develop a shoplifter awareness programme. Mimi Lau, director of professional and training services at Numark, says: “Staff should be trained on security matters; what is a security risk, how to react to a crime, who and what to report and so on.” There should be an SOP in place for when crimes do occur, and any preventative measures needed.

Mr Richards also suggests retail stores use technology to help – perhaps your pharmacy has CCTV directed at the dispensary or outside. And as Ms Lau agrees: “Technology such as CCTV cameras and panic buttons are useful. When I worked at a pharmacy in Huddersfield the neighbouring shops all had radio walkie talkies, which alerted the shops to suspicious characters, any crime that occurred such as shoplifting etc. They were very effective.”

Work with the community

If you’re struggling with how to make your pharmacy safer, try looking at other shops in your area, or think about contacting the local police. As Ms Lau says: “Pharmacies should work with local communities for instance, if they are in a parade of shops or part of a wider community. Some towns operate local schemes.”

If you can’t see any measures in place in your pharmacy and feel you are at risk and need more protection, talk to your employer. They have a legal duty to protect you, and it is in their interests to protect their business and employees. If they don’t you can raise the matter confidentially with the government’s Health and Safety Executive.

Should you find yourself the victim of crime or being subjected to abuse, Ms Chalmers suggests: “It is best to stay calm so as not to inflame a situation, to keep neutral body language and not to glare directly into people’s eyes. Do not block a customer’s exit path, as they are then less likely to stay and fight or strike out.”

Afterwards you can ask your employer for support if you are affected by the crime, or call charity Pharmacist Support if you need to talk to someone. Numark also offers its members a confidential counselling service through its Choices programme.

Remember it is important to report the crime both to the pharmacy owner and the police. If the crime is related to prescriptions and medicines it may also be relevant to tell your PCT, local GPs or other pharmacies. You could also record significant events on the PMR system to help warn other pharmacists.

And as Ms Chalmers adds: “Briefing the team after incidents so they can all learn how to deal with situations better is also essential.” In this way others can learn from your experience, and hopefully you can prevent someone else being a victim of crime in the future.