A Bushey chemist held at knifepoint while his pharmacy was robbed is calling for increased police presence in the town.

Raj Pandya, who has run Tween Pharmacy in Bushey High Street for the past ten years, described how a thief, armed with a long carving knife, robbed his shop on Thursday, July 5.

Mr Pandya, 56, said: "I had just gone to the back of the shop to get a prescription for a customer, when I heard shouting.

"I looked around and saw a man, in his 30s, demanding that the till be opened and that the customer get the money for him.

"He was waving a knife, it was at least 12 inches long, and he was shouting and swearing.

"I picked up the phone to call the police, but he saw me, so I had to put it down again.

"I then came out from the back, to get a clearer sense of what was going on."

Thinking little for his own safety, Mr Pandya, a father-of-two, said he stood between the armed robber and his customer, so that she would not be injured.

He said: "The customer, a woman in her 40s, was very upset and all I could think about was her safety.

"The thief kept shouting at her, making her cry, and he was swearing at me too.

"I was so frightened it took me a few attempts to open the till, I was nervous, I was scared- this man was waving a knife around.

"When it opened I thought he’d just take the notes, but he took everything, right down to pound and fifty pence coins. He took between £200 to £300.

"In all my years I have never experienced anything like this."

The robber is described as a white man, 5ft 10ins tall and was said to be bald and clean shaven.

He was wearing a grey or light blue hooded top, dark bottoms with a white stripe and white trainers, and was said to have a gold tooth in his upper jaw. According to Mr Pandya, after the thief stole from the pharmacy, he ran off down Park Road.

Mr Pandya, who is in charge of charity fundraising at Watford and Clarendon Rotary Club, said this latest robbery on the High Street is symptomatic of a decrease in police presence in the town.

He said: "Everyone harps on about the past and I don’t want to do that too much, but, there was a time when you knew your local officers and why? Because they would be patrolling the streets, they would pop in and say hello. "We don’t get that anymore and it’s a shame. The odd patrol car just isn’t enough, it’s not effective.

"I’m now having to think about installing CCTV cameras and increasing the security in the shop. But I don’t want to and shouldn’t have to do this. Not only because of the cost, but this shop has always been a friendly place for customers, I don’t want it to look like Fort Knox, I want people to feel comfortable in here.

"People have commented that this thief must have been desperate if he took all the change, but to be honest I don’t care. He knew what he was doing; he saw an opportunity and took it.

"I should be able to run my business without fearing for the safety of my customers, staff and myself. We were lucky this time, it could’ve been a lot more serious. The police could have been investigating a murder."

Inspector Nick Ablett, from the Hertsmere Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Neighbourhood officers have been working to improve links with businesses in the area through schemes such as Business Watch.


“This initiative was launched earlier this year and is aimed at helping local businesses by offering crime prevention advice and a means by which they can communicate their concerns to officers.


“I would urge any businesses with concerns to contact their local Safer Neighbourhood Team using the police non-emergency number 101.”

Anyone with information on the crime can also call police on 101 or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.