Pharmacy robberies down 82% thanks to new tech: Toronto police

Pharmacy robberies in the city are down 82 per cent in 2024 compared to this time last year thanks to new technology, Toronto police say.

Last year, a new mandate kicked in ordering all pharmacies to have time-delayed safes, which only open a set-amount of time has passed after being unlocked, and secure narcotics such as oxycodone, morphine, and codeine.

Now, Toronto police, the Ontario College of Pharmacists and the Ontario Pharmacists Association are celebrating the decrease in pharmacy robberies across the board. In Toronto, there have been 10 robberies so far this year, compared to 60 in the same period last year.

"Pharmacy robberies were very lucrative. Each pill obtained was sold for profit, and there was an obvious demand," said Toronto police Insp. Joseph Matys at a news conference on Wednesday.

"Working together with our residents and our law enforcement and industry partners, we can make it harder for criminals to victimize our communities and ultimately make a safer and more secure Toronto for everyone."

Matys said criminals would often use stolen vehicles during pharmacy robberies, which contributed to the auto theft crisis in the region. They would also put customers, staff and pharmacists in danger and would sell the drugs obtained in the illegal market, also worsening the opioid crisis, he said.

More than 4,900 pharmacies now carry the technology in Ontario.