HALT DRUG HEISTS

Portsmouth police are doing a good job of showing dispensers of the
painkiller OxyContin that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.

The department is showing local nursing home administrators, hospital
employees, pharmacists and others who handle the drug that there is
something they can do to stay safe when thrust into a situation with
robbers, who might be armed.

A workshop was held this week to give them tips on how to manage
their stocks of OxyContin - a drug that been sought by addicts and
traffickers in an increasing number of robberies throughout New
England.

It is unfortunate how a drug that can help many patients manage their
pain can be abused by addicts who are willing to steal the substance
at any cost, putting innocent people in risky crime scenes.

The good news is that pharmacies and other places where the drug is
dispensed can take measures now that make it much harder for
criminals to commit robberies. Limiting stocks, keeping them in areas
not easily accessible, and installing surveillance cameras can be
effective to deter crimes.

Like other strategies to control crime, a partnership and an exchange
of information between police and those they protect is critical.

Portsmouth isn't the only community where robbers have struck. Dover
and Stratham pharmacies also have been targeted recently.

Portsmouth's common-sense approach to a growing problem would be
helpful to all communities in the Seacoast.