Toronto Police on Wednesday announced the results of Project Mayhem looking into a recent string of pharmacy robberies.
Project Mayhem was led by the Toronto police Hold Up Squad in a collaborative investigation with the York Regional police Hold Up Squad, the Peel Regional Central Robbery Bureau, and the Halton Regional Robbery Unit.
The project has been supported by units and divisions across Toronto Police Services, including Intelligent Services, Public Safety Response Units, The Emergency Task Force, and Divisional Major Crime Units.
“Project Mayhem started in the response to pharmacy robberies that took place in Dec. 2022, and into and including February of this year,” said Insp. Rich Harris.
So far in 2023 there have been 45 pharmacy robberies compared to 11 at this time last year.
Toronto Police Crime Prevention Officers are routinely visiting pharmacies throughout the city to discuss safety tips, with a virtual town hall meeting this evening with area pharmacists, .
“In the meantime we recommend for pharmacies, if possible, to invest in good surveillance cameras, panic alarms, time delayed safes, and to make sure safes remain closed at all times,” said Harris.
Following a pharmacy robbery on Jan. 24, officers observed a stolen vehicle with two males inside, aged 14 and 15. Officers conducted a vehicle stop and took them into custody.
Police have recovered and seized a knife, stolen narcotics, replica handguns, and other items of evidentiary value from just four specific separate robberies.
“People coming in doing take-over style robberies, hopping the counters, armed with weapons, knives, firearms, and using physical force, quite frankly when it’s not necessary because the pharmacist is compliant with the demands being made of them,” said Harris.
In 2022 there was a record 124 pharmacy robberies in the city of Toronto, 69 per cent of those arrested were what Harris described as young people.
“The concern the Toronto police has is about the number of pharmacy robberies that are taking place, but also the young ages of those who are committing them,” said Harris.
So far, 26 robberies, 10 arrests and 60 charges have been made so far from these crimes.
Of the 10 arrests, six of them were young people under the age of 18.
“To parents, caregivers, guardians, I urge that you check in with your children, ensure that you know what they are up to, question them and challenge them if they are in possession of large quantities of money, and of course prescription narcotics,” said Harris.