Posted on 20 June, 2017

Pharmacies have long been a target of choice for criminals seeking powerful pain killers, cash and even cough medicine. The primary challenge faced by these business owners is a very common one. The alarm system can function perfectly after an intrusion, but the criminals know they have a window of opportunity until the authorities arrive.

If your electronic security system is not monitored, alarm calls to 000 are usually  not given a high priority compared to calls that may involve verified emergencies. This means that the real time before police arrive can give the thieves plenty of time to steal as much as they want. Extensive damage to the property and the business down time also contribute to the total loss. This
problem has become so pervasive that insurance policies have become more expensive (and sometimes cancelled), with higher deductible limits and rates.

Mr. Ernesto Garza-Gongora, owner of Stone Oak Pharmacy in the United States, was worried about break-ins at his pharmacy and wasn’t confident that his existing system provided enough protection so he started searching for more effective products – eventually deciding on SmokeCloak, the industry’s leading fog security device. It was connected to the pharmacy security system to be activated when a motion sensor near the counter and drug area was tripped. The system is installed on a wall facing towards the front door, designed to drive the intruder out once the fog is emitted.

20 years of use in security applications has shown that the burglars or robbers quickly flee the protected area (almost always empty-handed) because they become disoriented by the fog or even concerned about its content, thereby protecting the location until security staff or police arrive.

The pharmacy was broken into in April 2012, only 5 months after SmokeCloak was installed.  It was activated during the break-in, driving the intruders out with little product to show for their crime. Mr. Garza-Gongora says:

The SmokeCloak performed flawlessly and prevented the thieves from getting any  inventory. We have been broken into 3 times since and each time the SmokeCloak went off as planned and drove the burglars out with little or no product loss.

In 4 years of operation, the SmokeCloak hasn’t been involved with any false alarms in Mr. Garza-Gongora’s pharmacy.

Oliver-Ramsay Security is an Australian nationwide supplier of SmokeCloak products. We can advise and install this innovative fog security system in retail and other environments, stopping thieves in their tracks. We can also monitor your premises and respond to alarm activations in the event of an intrusion.