Poachers are on the prowl these days for packages delivered and left on porches. With holiday-season comes gift gifting and with it, a spike theft of packages left unattended on porches. It is known that package thieves even follow the delivery trucks and may walk up and steal the package within minutes of its being left on the porch of someone who is not at home.
Let’s be realistic: you can’t expect that a package will still be there on your porch when you get home! For this holiday season, do your gift-ordering and make alternate delivery arrangements such as taking delivery to your workplace or to another person who will be able to receive the package, such as a neighbor.
Other types of crimes increase at the holiday season, as well, including mailbox theft and home break-ins. Now is a good time to evaluate locks and general security. Take a look at the Wedgwood Blockwatch page for alerts of burglaries and break-ins which have increased around the neighborhood.
Here is a recent news report about package thefts, with suggestions from the North Precinct Advisory Council about how to prevent theft. Use package tracking and delivery notice when available; create a screened area at your entryway where deliveries can be set down out of view from the street. Keep in touch with neighbors; share info about expected package deliveries. Be alert to any “cruising” vehicles which come by, looking for packages on porches, especially right after a delivery truck has been on your block.