Figures show the number of incidents – which include arson, criminal damage, burglary, theft and reports of racial hate crime – has risen by over 30 per cent since 2022.
The total, according to West Yorkshire Police data, has increased from 494 to 663.
Nicola Goodberry Kenneally, chief executive officer at Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire, says: “The rise in pharmacy-related crime across Bradford district is deeply concerning. These incidents not only put pharmacy staff at risk but also disrupt the essential healthcare services that patients rely on. Pharmacists and their teams should feel safe in their workplaces, free from intimidation or harm.
“While the NHS rightly operates a zero tolerance policy on abuse towards its staff, community pharmacy teams are not offered any protections or security measures.
“Bodies such as the National Pharmacy Association and Independent Pharmacies Association continue to raise these issues with the Government to highlight the significant risks faced by healthcare professionals working in the community pharmacy sector.”
Keighley MP Robbie Moore said the data left him with questions for Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
He said: “Why, when pharmacy crime has risen every single year, have we not seen more targeted police action to support pharmacy owners?
“The reality of this data is that pharmacy crime in our area is now more than 30 per cent higher than it was three years ago.
“I want to see a zero tolerance approach taken towards criminals targeting pharmacies and other vital local services.
“To me, that means ending the merry-go-round of repeat offenders by enforcing proper custodial sentences instead of the current revolving door. It also means an end to the soft-touch community resolutions that treat stealing prescription drugs as ‘low-level’ nuisance.
“The regional mayor’s office needs to ensure police resources are directed to the areas facing the biggest rises in crime – rather than being diverted elsewhere.
“Residents in Keighley and across the Bradford district are quite rightly fed up that crime in this country is simply not being dealt with properly. If proper action is not taken now, then I have no doubt we will continue to see further increases in the years ahead.”
A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “Whilst the council doesn’t have powers of arrest, we support West Yorkshire Police in all they do and would encourage anyone to report any crime to them.”