Police were called on Saturday, September 17, to reports of criminal damage at Biddulph Pharmacy in Stoke-On-Trent, a spokesperson for the force told C+D yesterday (September 27).

Officers were alerted after damage to the premises’ windows was discovered on September 17.

The incident is believed to have happened between 10.30pm on September 16 and 7.30am on September 17, the spokesperson added, with the value of the repair estimated at £3,500.

No arrests made yet

Inquiries into the incident are ongoing and no arrests have yet been made, Staffordshire Police confirmed to C+D yesterday.

The force is encouraging anyone with information or CCTV footage relating to the incident to come forward by contacting the police on 101 quoting incident number 698 of September 17.

Alternatively, people can also call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Read more: 3-minute briefing: Key findings from C+D’s crimes in pharmacies investigation

Earlier this year, C+D’s crime in pharmacy investigation revealed that at least 27,385 reports of crimes in pharmacies were received by police authorities between 2019 and 2021.

But while the frequency of threats of abuse and violence grew over the pandemic, pharmacy teams reported fewer crimes overall to the police.

These crimes ranged from shoplifting and burglary to vandalism and arson. At least 1,437 reports of violent crimes in pharmacies were reported to the police in 2021, with violent crime accounting for 17.9% of all crimes in pharmacies reported in 2021.

Read all of the findings from C+D’s crimes in pharmacies investigation in our dedicated hub and sign our petition asking for commissioners to provide community pharmacies with funding to cover additional security measures.

Have you been on the receiving end of abuse or aggressive behaviour from patients? Share your experiences on the C+D Community or if you’d prefer to remain anonymous, please contact [email protected].