Nearly 5,000 pharmacies across the province are using time-delayed safes to store drugs in an attempt to combat robberies.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Police Service (TPS), the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police announced that all pharmacies throughout Ontario are mandated to use the safes.
The mandate was implemented in March 2023 and applies to 4,900+ community pharmacies in Ontario, police said.
A time-delayed safe has an electronic timer that prevents access until a pre-set period of time has elapsed and after the correct combination has been entered. Override codes, keys, or other methods to bypass the time delay is prohibited under this mandate.
Narcotics stored in these safes include oxycodone, morphine, and codeine.
“…The introduction of time-delayed safes has resulted in an 82 per cent decrease in pharmacy robberies so far in 2024 compared to the same time last year. This success speaks to the impact of time-delayed safes, but also demonstrates the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to address issues that impact the safety and well-being of our communities,” Insp. Joseph Matys of the TPS Hold Up Squad said at a press conference.
In 2022, the TPS began collaborating with local pharmacies and external partner agencies to spread awareness and safety tips to reduce the number of robberies and victimization, police said.
In addition to time-delayed safes and visible signage about them, other tips for pharmacies included investing in good surveillance cameras, and panic alarms.
Toronto police have since noticed a decline in pharmacy robberies with only 10 break-ins recorded so far this year versus 60 at this time last year.
“This is a critical milestone that should serve as a signal to all would-be thieves that pharmacies are no longer an easy target to steal narcotics and that pharmacies are working closer than ever with local law enforcement to help deter pharmacy robberies,” James Morrison, OCP Board Chair said in a statement.
“In working with law enforcement, we’ve learned that perpetrators who commit pharmacy robberies rely on getting in and out of a pharmacy quickly. The evidence is clear. When criminals know that narcotics are secured in a time-delayed safe, it serves as a strong deterrent,” he added.
Police also noted that data from other jurisdictions prove time-delayed safes and signage are reducing robberies.
For example, following the July 1, 2022 implementation of a similar mandate in Alberta, Edmonton reported zero pharmacy robberies and Calgary saw an 80 per cent decrease.
Meanwhile, British Columbia mandated the safes in 2015, contributing to a notable drop in robberies from 36 reported in 2013/2014 down to two by 2016/2017.
