Napier: Balmoral Pharmacy staff praised for actions amid robbery and Armed Offenders Squad call-out

A Napier pharmacy staff member has been praised for doing “everything perfectly” during a frightening robbery which led to an Armed Offenders Squad call-out and arrest.

The ordeal happened at Balmoral Pharmacy inside Pak’nSave Napier about 4pm on Friday.

A police spokesman said a man presented a written note inside the pharmacy stating he was armed and demanded medication.

No firearm was seen and the offender left the scene with the stolen medication. Armed police then responded, as a precaution, and the pharmacy was briefly placed in lockdown.

“The alleged offender left the scene in a vehicle which was later located parked outside an address of Breakwater Rd [in Napier],” the spokesman said.

“Cordons were put in place while a search warrant was executed at a Breakwater Rd address, with the assistance of the Armed Offenders Squad.

“The alleged offender was taken into custody and a firearm was not located.”

A 20-year-old man has been charged with robbery and is due to appear in the Napier District Court on Thursday.

Balmoral Pharmacy is located inside Pak'nSave Napier. Photo / NZME

A Balmoral Pharmacy staff member, who did not want to be named, said the pharmacy reopened for the last hour of trading on Friday and has been open as is normal since.

She was pleased with the way the main staff member who was involved in the situation handled the incident.

“One of the girls did extremely well, the one who dealt with it mostly. She did everything perfectly.”

Understandably, she said the worker was shaken up when she got home.

She said the owner kept all the staff in the loop on Friday evening via a group message, and they were pleased to hear police caught the alleged offender quickly.

“We are very pleased,” she said. “It eased everyone’s mind a bit.”

She said victim support was available to any staff members who wanted it and the pharmacy checked in with staff over the weekend to make sure they were okay.

“We are all having a quiet day today and we mentioned to anyone if they are having a bad day, they can wander out the back and have a cup of tea.”

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.