Jyväskylä pharmacy to close after repeated robberies

A pharmacy in Jyväskylä will close after repeated robberies threatened employee safety and made the business unprofitable, Yle reports. Pharmacist Eija Joki said the latest incident in July was the fifth time medicines had been stolen from Lohikosken pharmacy.

A man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt climbed over the pharmacy counter and security barriers and took medicines. It was the second robbery at the branch pharmacy that summer.

“That was the last straw. Above all, this is a workplace safety issue,” Joki said.

The small pharmacy, located in a quiet residential neighbourhood, was previously broken into several times at night. The break-ins began after the coronavirus pandemic. Joki had metal bars installed on the doors and windows, after which the break-ins stopped for several years.

The pharmacy now keeps its entrance locked, and customers can enter only by ringing the doorbell.

According to statistics from the National Police Board, property offences at pharmacies have increased. Two aggravated robberies were recorded at pharmacies this spring, compared with none during the previous two years.

There were seven pharmacy robberies or attempted robberies in 2024 and eight last year. Five have been recorded this year.

The number of thefts this year is almost one third higher than during the corresponding period in the previous two years. Shoplifting has also increased steadily in recent years.

The actual figures are probably higher because the police statistics system does not directly show which offences were committed against pharmacies. For example, the robberies at Lohikosken pharmacy this summer are not included in these statistics.

Stealing medicines can meet the legal definition of robbery even when no weapon is used or threatened.

Before the robberies this summer, medicines had been taken from Lohikosken pharmacy three times by people climbing over the counter. A 160-centimetre-high glass wall and door were built around the counter as a barrier. Sharp metal bars were later added above the glass barriers, but they did not deter the robbers.

Joki said she had been considering the branch pharmacy’s profitability and future for a long time. Recent investments in security have made the business unprofitable, but concern for employees’ safety was now the decisive factor.

Police often know the suspects

The same people are often responsible for property offences targeting pharmacies, according to Eeva-Maria Tahvanainen, chief inspector of criminal investigations at the Central Finland Police Department.

Thieves are often seeking medicines with intoxicating effects, and police usually solve the cases, Tahvanainen said. The suspects often have a history of substance use and are already known to police.

Cases frequently lead to suspects being remanded in custody, after which pharmacies are calmer for a while.

According to Tahvanainen, property offences mainly target street-level shops. Pharmacies in shopping centres experience fewer such offences because the risk of being caught is higher. Shopping centres have security systems and security guards, and leaving them is more difficult than leaving a street-level shop.

Employee safety is the biggest concern

Other pharmacies in Jyväskylä have also been robbed or targeted in attempted robberies in recent years.

Jyväskylä pharmacist Satu Rantakangas said she was particularly concerned about employee safety. Although the stolen goods are usually of limited value and the robbers have always been caught, the incidents are stressful for the entire work community.

There is also a risk that some of the stolen medicines will end up being sold on the street.

Employees receive training for robbery situations, and incidents are always reviewed carefully with them, Rantakangas said. Each person experiences a robbery differently, but such incidents can cause fear.

Rantakangas said shoplifting and thefts had also increased at her pharmacy. She attributed this to several factors.

The replacement of paper prescriptions with electronic prescriptions may have increased attempted robberies. Prescriptions can no longer be forged, and obtaining duplicate prescriptions is more difficult than before.

Lohikosken pharmacy has operated at the same location for 60 years.