CALGARY -- Police say they are concerned about an increase in the number of pharmacy robberies in Calgary in recent months, including two on Tuesday that saw staff members threatened with a gun.

There have been 21 reported pharmacy robberies across Calgary since September — four of those in the northeast quadrant, five in the northwest, seven in the southwest, and five in the southeast.

"Detectives are now working to determine if several individuals or groups are responsible for the robberies, or if this is a general crime trend across the city," police said in a release.

"In most cases, the suspects approach the pharmacist, brandishing a firearm or indicating they have a weapon before walking behind the counter and obtaining drugs and cash.

"Often they are carrying a bag to contain the bottles they steal, and in many cases a second suspect stays at the door. Many different types of drugs are being taken, ranging from cough syrup to codeine."

No injuries have been reported as a result of the robberies.

Pharmacy employees are being advised to take precautions while investigators search for suspects.

Some tips include:

  • Keep safes locked at all times;
  • Minimize the amount of cash and drugs readily available on site;
  • Test your cameras to make sure they are working;
  • Ensure quality of the image is sufficient to be usable in identifying suspects;
  • Position at least one camera to have a level line of sight of patrons, overhead views do not provide much assistance in identifying suspects;
  • Ensure staff can access video content at any time and if possible, move the video to a cloud-based storage;
  • Place height strip tape on the interior side of the main entrance door;
  • Keep any doors separating the pharmacy from the store locked, and;
  • Utilize a panic alarm for employees.

"If a robbery occurs, call 911 immediately and lock the doors to the premise to preserve evidence after robbery until police arrive," police said.

Investigators have released CCTV images of suspects from several of the robberies.

Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.