Windsor police team with pharmacists to prevent robberies

Windsor police have teamed up with pharmacists in Windsor and Essex County to produce a checklist drug store owners can go through to make their stores harder to rob.

Barry Horrobin, director of planning and physical resources for the police service helped produce the checklist called the Pharmacy Physical Risk Assessment Tool.

"Throughout all of Essex County we encourage and hope all pharmacies will embrace this tool and do the self audit themselves," Horrobin told the media at a news conference at Novacare Pharmacy in Windsor.

• Pharmacists take a stand against robberies

Horobin points to successful initiatives at Walgreens in the U.S. and at pharmacies in British Columbia, which have installed timers on safes so they can't be opened immediately.

Other improvements to stores include higher and deeper pharmacy counters, which are harder to climb over. Locating stores in high-traffic areas also increase the chances witnesses can identify criminals.

Horrobin also urges the installation of video surveillance cameras in strategic locations. 

"All of these things help resolve a crime once it's happened," said Horrobin.

"it seems like every week we're hearing about another robbery," said Peter Dumo, pharmacist at Novacare Pharmacy.

Dumo is in favour the crime prevention measures but he says the province needs to legislate them because the Ontario College of Pharmacists can't force it's members to implement them.

"As every pharmacy here is independently owned, very difficult to launch that without a legislative act," Dumo said.

The checklist is being distributed to pharmacies across the city and county by police through the Essex County Pharmacists Association.