Pharmacists are the latest retailers in the county to take action against brass-necked “bulk order” thieves.

Shameless shoplifters are swiping high-value but easily resold items such as cosmetics and baby milk powder.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) reports a growing issue with thieves targeting stores with businesses choosing security options such as a “one in and one out” door system.

One Kent example occurred at Paydens in Liberty Square, Kings Hill, on June 11 when two thugs in baseball caps allegedly filled large bags with cosmetics from display cabinets.

The pair - one of whom police suspect may have been armed - fled the store in the direction of the Asda car park after making threats to staff. Kent Police described the incident as a “bulk theft”.

The shocking developments come weeks after the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott revealed a 39% increase in recorded shoplifting offences.

Papers submitted to the most recent Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel stated: “The data below shows that compared with April 2021 to March 2022, the number of recorded offences in April 2023 to March 2024 increased by 39% (4,278), but the suspect interviewed rate and solved rate remained stable.

“Of note, an additional 1,113 suspects were interviewed in April 2023 to March 2024 compared to two years previously, and 1,121 more outcomes achieved.”

Commissioner Mr Scott said there are three drivers behind shoplifting - drugs, organised crime and opportunism.

More than half of those crimes are driven by drug dependency.

A programme called Pegasus has been implemented to gather intelligence on organised retail crime and its perpetrators.

Mr Scott added: “Of course, we can do more on this and I am determined to.”

It comes as no surprise to Ferride Karson of Karson’s Pharmacy in Pattens Lane, Rochester, who says that “pilfering” is commonplace in the sector.

But a one-in and one-out system would not work at either of his Medway shops because they are always so busy.

He added: “If you have enough staff in the shop to keep an eye on things, it’s normally okay. Touch wood we are not too badly affected. Most of our customers are people we have known for a long time.

“But things happen now and then. The shoplifters go for the more expensive items such as make-up or baby milk, which retails at between £13 and £29 a tin, because they are easily sold on.”

Former military intelligence officer Philip Ingram MBE said retailers, recognising the limits of police resources to adequately deal with crime, are turning to online help.

These include catchathief.co.uk, which publishes CCTV footage of suspects as they steal from shops, and Facewatch which employs facial recognition technology.

Mr Ingram added: “There has been an increase in organised crime gangs targeting businesses like pharmacies to steal large volumes of stuff at a time.

“These sites can act as a deterrent.”

NPA chairperson Nick Kaye said: “There are many thousands of shoplifting incidents reported across the pharmacy network each year, placing a heavy cost on pharmacies, which are mostly small family-run businesses.

“Even worse, many of our members have been subjected to aggressive, abusive and sometimes even violent behaviour.

“Crime against pharmacies adds to the already intense pressures on this vital health service, which has seen many closures in the last decade.

“There should be zero tolerance of crime within the NHS and wider health services. Above all, hardworking clinicians and other pharmacy staff deserve to be able to do their vital work without fear.”

Papers to the crime panel, which sat last month, state: “Retail crime (or shoplifting) is not victimless and can often be accompanied by assaults and threats of violence. It can also result in shop closures and damage public confidence in the police’s ability to prevent crime, safeguard shop workers and target offenders.

“Whilst recorded retail crime in Kent has experienced increases in line with those seen nationally, the local policing response shows an improving picture with the introduction of the new Neighbourhood Policing Model and improvements to the Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRPs).”