VIOLENCE
The pair threatened staff and customers while attempting to steal medication from the shop and it was to be a horrifying three hours before police were able to enter the premises and use a stun gun to temporarily disable Irvine.
Workers are said to have been traumatised by the robbery attempt, during which Paterson collapsed and had to be treated in hospital.
Irvine and Paterson later pleaded guilty to abduction, assault and robbery.
A judge at the High Court in Aberdeen jailed Irvine for six years and sentenced Paterson to five years.
They will each spend a further five years on licence following their release.
Despite the ordeal that he and his staff went through, Peter feels that it’s very difficult to change the way that a pharmacy operates.
Take the USA, for example. Over the last few months alone, a robber held a knife to the throat of a pharmacist at a 24-hour Walgreens store in Hamilton, Ohio, while, in mid-August, a man dressed as a woman held up Remco Pharmacy in Arlington, Texas. Unfortunately, the pharmacist was shot (but not killed) by the robber.
On 1 August, meanwhile, a man and woman robbed the Swan Serv-U Pharmacy in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin at gunpoint. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison for armed robbery.
Closer to home, in May 2013, Peter Tinkler from The Royal Mile Pharmacy in Edinburgh was subjected to what is probably the first ‘suicide by police’ experienced in pharmacy in the UK.
As Peter and his staff were closing up, a man and a woman - later identified as Russell Irvine and Helen Paterson - came into his pharmacy, locked themselves in with the staff and customers and pretended to pour petrol along the front of the shop to make the police outside think they were about to set fire to the pharmacy. In the meantime, Irvine held two Stanley knives to Pete’s neck while Paterson ingested many drugs.
‘Naturally after what happened, we undertook a complete review of security,’ he told Scottish Pharmacist, ‘but at the end of the day, what can you really do to remove or alter the threat of an assault or an attack? Let’s face it, we’re none of us immune to being attacked in our business premises – whether it’s for money or – in the case of pharmacy – for drugs, but no one could ever have foreseen what happened that day!
‘What happened to myself and my staff was a psychiatric incident and, as such, mental health issues were to the fore. It’s similar to people being attacked by those with mental health issues in the street – there’s no reasoning and no chance of pre- empting what is going to happen. In my case this attack wasn’t carried out in the street but, ironically, on the premises because the male attacker – who was a patient – said he felt ‘safe’ in the shop.
‘After the assault we revised our operating procedures and underwent risk assessments. We also provided additional training for all of our staff members so that, in the event that such an attack ever happens again – and let’s pray to God that it doesn’t – everybody will know what to do and there will be no panic. But, other than that, what can you really do?’
The 2013 assault wasn’t Peter’s first brush with crime in pharmacy.
About fifteen years ago he was held up twice, once for money and once by a shoplifter, who produced an air rifle. What happened in May 2013, however, took ‘crime in pharmacy’ to a different level.
‘What was ironic about the whole thing,’ Peter continues, ‘is that the police couldn’t get into the premises because our security was so good! As you know, in Scotland, we’re not allowed to put shutters on the shops so we had super tough glass – so tough in fact that the police said they couldn’t get in through it quickly - although at least it allowed them to see what was happening!
‘In any case, what if we were allowed to have shutters? It’s all very well if you’re outside putting them down, but what happens if your attacker uses them against you and puts them down when you’re both inside? It’s akin to someone boarding themselves into a consulting room with a GP. It’s incredibly difficult for security forces to get inside.
‘One of the small steps that I have taken is to always ensure that I mention in conversation with clients that we don’t hold large quantities of drugs on the premises. It’s become almost second nature now to casually throw in ‘as you know, we don’t have many drugs in stock’ and I know that word goes around. They’re small steps but, as I say, what else can you do?’
Following the attack, Peter received a lot of support from the community – coloured by a minority of derogatory remarks…
‘The simple fact is that this type of thing could happen to any pharmacist anywhere. The location or demograph makes no difference. These weren’t two junkies off their heads. They were two people who had made a pact to die at the hands of the police. We just happened to be the guy’s local pharmacy. I’m just amazed that he would do this in his own back yard but then, as I said earlier, when you’re dealing with mental health issues there’s no rhyme or reason to what happens!’ •
Following the sentencing of Irvine and Paterson, the judge, Lord Doherty, stressed the need for pharmacies to be particularly protected. Speaking to the pair, the judge said:
‘This was a terrifying and prolonged ordeal for those whom you abducted and assaulted. They were in fear that serious violence might be visited upon them, and that their lives were at risk. Unsurprisingly, it has had lasting psychological effects for some of them.
‘Your offence must be punished severely for two reasons. First, its very serious nature. Second, to deter others from carrying out such crimes.
‘The courts have made it clear on many occasions that armed attacks on retail premises will be dealt with severely. Armed attacks on pharmacies fall to be dealt with particularly severely. Pharmacies are especially deserving of the court’s protection. They play a vital role in our communities. They are authorised custodians and dispensers of controlled drugs. That makes them an easy target for those who wish to obtain drugs illegally. Those who work in pharmacies must be able to carry on their work without being subjected to violence or threats of violence. Their safety, and the safety of ordinary members of the public using pharmacies, has to be protected.’
SCOTTISH PHARMACIST - 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48