The days where criminals could quickly hit a pharmacy for some narcotics are nearly gone.

 

 

Since time-delayed safes became mandatory in all of Ontario’s more than 4,900 pharmacies in March 2023, police in Toronto have seen a drastic drop in robberies.

There were 60 at this time last year compared with just 10 so far this year.

The introduction of time-delays safes has resulted in an 82% decrease so far this year,” points out Inspector Joseph Matys of the Toronto Police Hold-Up Squad.

”This success speaks to the impact of time-delayed safes, but also demonstrates the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to address issues impacting the safety and well-being of communities.”

Time-delay safes use an electronic timer that prevents access until a preset period of time has run out after the combo’s been entered.