Pharmacies are increasingly dealing with crime, according to a survey conducted by the Irish Pharmacy Union.

The survey found 89% of pharmacies were victims of crime in the last 12 months.

However, a third of thefts were not reported due to a lack of faith in Gardaí and the justice system.

Chair of the Irish Pharmacy Union’s contractors' committee Kathy Mahe said the long term effect of these thefts cause huge pressure on businesses over time.

“It might seem minimal or trivial, and that's certainly why it would explain there's a certain degree of underreporting,” she told The Pat Kenny Show.

“But the cumulative effect is very costly; the loss of stock, the extra security, the time spent on reporting, the impact on staff wellbeing.”

A nurse looking stressed while sitting on a staircase. Picture by: Panther Media GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

Ms Mahe pointed out that since pharmacies often sell a range of beauty products, the theft of a single item could cause a loss of 20 to 30 euro.

“The majority of [the thefts] tend to be cosmetics, fake tan, fragrance, some over-the-counter medicines,” she said.

"One-in-10 pharmacies have to close temporarily due to a crime, depending on what happens.

“As a business owner, to turn around then and provide healthcare advice a number of minutes or hours later, it's very, very challenging.”

Sentencing

According to Ms Mahe, even when businesses report larger crimes, perpetrators are often not handed out satisfying sentences.

“Six-out-of-ten pharmacies have a lack of faith in the prosecution or legal consequence,” she said.

“And that’s down to that revolving door policy or mentality that exists.

“We need tougher sentencing so that people are convicted and sentenced for the crimes they commit.

“I know an incident I had a number of years ago with a ram raid, and it was very challenging to see that those perpetrators were caught but not convicted.”

Ms Mahe said “we have to realize that crimes against pharmacies are crimes against frontline healthcare”.

Main image: Customer giving prescription to pharmacist in pharmacy, Alamy, 2015.