Almost 9 in 10 pharmacies report surge in shoplifting and abuse in the last year

Experts warned that the theft of medications like strong painkillers or drugs that slow down the way the body and brain function "could have serious consequences for someone’s health".

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) poll of 476 pharmacies in England found 88 per cent have experienced a surge in shoplifting incidents in the last year.

Some 87 per cent also reported an increase in aggressive or intimidating behaviour towards pharmacy teams, while 22 per cent said they had witnessed physical assaults on staff.

Of those who reported these instances to police, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) said they felt the response was insufficient.

The NPA, which represents more than 6,000 independent community pharmacies, described the findings as "unacceptable".

NPA chief executive Henry Gregg said: "These are appalling findings and show that pharmacies are seeing a significant increase in shoplifting and other criminal behaviour.

"It is particularly concerning to hear of reports of physical assaults as well as threats towards pharmacy staff, which is totally unacceptable."

Read more: NHS to hire newly-qualified nurses and midwives before jobs open up in bid to boost workforce

Read more: Nurses facing ‘abhorrent’ violence levels while in A&E

Sanjeev Panesar, a pharmacy owner in Birmingham, said there has been a "noticeable rise" in petty theft across his sites in the past 12 to 18 months, with some people even opening filling bags with stock and walking out.

He also said his staff "can endure verbal abuse or physical intimidation, neither of which should be part of their role".

"These are healthcare professionals, here to serve their communities and care for patients," Mr Panesar added.

"Facing such hostility is not only disheartening but has a lasting effect on job satisfaction, morale, and feelings of safety at work."

In the past, Mr Panesar has brought in security guards and even chased offenders himself on a number of occasions.

He said: "It’s incredibly frustrating to see our teams deal with this reality, despite all the preventative measures we’ve implemented.

"Instead of focusing on protecting our premises from theft, we should be spending our time and energy developing innovative services, supporting patient care and improving community health."

Mr Gregg added: "Due to their accessible nature, pharmacy teams can often be more exposed to abuse and threats than their primary care colleagues.

"Although pharmacies are taking their own steps to protect their staff and premises, the police should do much more to tackle crimes like shoplifting, which is becoming increasingly commonplace.

"Theft of medication from a pharmacy, such as strong pain relief or benzodiazepines, could have serious consequences for someone’s health.

"We need to do more to tackle shoplifting as well as offering pharmacies similar support to other NHS colleagues in primary care to protect their staff and their premises."

A Government spokesperson said: "The rise in shop theft across the country in recent years is unacceptable.

"This Government is removing the effective immunity that currently applies to thefts involving goods valued under £200, and this summer, more than 500 town centres are receiving additional neighbourhood patrols to strengthen action against shop theft and related offences.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to violence or harassment directed at NHS staff and community pharmacists. Which is why we are bringing in laws to protect shop workers from violence and accepted the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations to tackle and reduce violence against NHS staff."