A bonfire night raid on a community pharmacy saw cash and goods worth an estimated £6,000 snatched from the till and medicine cabinets. 

One of the co-owners of Edinburgh-based Carewise Pharmacy, Yousef Khalil, told C+D he was “devastated” but his thoughts immediately turned to minimising the impact on the pharmacy’s patients. 

Read more: Mid-20s trio open ‘dream’ pharmacy in Edinburgh 

“Within hours, our team came together, cleaned up, reopened, and made sure every prescription was delivered,” he said. 

The incident at the Polwarth pharmacy happened at 01:19 on November 6, after Bonfire night celebrations in the area.  

The break-in lasted under 12 minutes after intruders smashed through the front window, and the losses from it are estimated at over £6,000. 

The window was repaired in the morning, and prescriptions were re-routed for collection from local GP practices to ensure patients did not go without essential medication. 

Khalil said that police are still investigating after attending to the scene shortly after the incident.  

Read more: ‘He threatened to kill me’: NPA chair confronts shoplifter 

With his co-owners Nuhan and Jamil Hussain, the trio quickly introduced new security measures for Carewise Pharmacy. 

“They broke in — but by morning, we were back helping our patients,” said Khalil. 

“Polwarth is more than just where we work, it’s a community that looks out for one another.” 

Read more: How two 23-year-old pharmacists snagged an ex-Lloydspharmacy branch 

The mid-20s trio opened Carewise Pharmacy in April and they told C+D they turned their “dream into reality”.  

In August, NPA chair Olivier Picard was threatened by a shoplifter after he challenged them when attempting to flee his premises.