With parcel deliveries at their highest during the holiday season, local authorities have spoken on how to protect people’s shipped shopping. 

The term porch pirate refers to individuals who steal packages from a porch or front step of a residence before the resident has the opportunity to retrieve them. The crime associated with the action is theft under $5,000. 

Contrary to popular belief, Swift Current City RCMP Staff Sergeant Evan Gordon has noticed no increased trends in theft reports. 

“To date, we haven't received many reports of it,” said Gordon. “There's the occasional report of a theft from someone's property from someone's porch. You would think that they may be on the rise during a time like this when there are maybe more parcels being delivered in preparation for Christmas, but we see no real increase in those numbers as of yet, and we certainly hope to keep it that way.” 

 

Gordon stated that privately operated security cameras are becoming an inexpensive and commonplace tool in preventing and catching porch pirates. As doorbell cameras and domestic surveillance systems become more prevalent, the RCMP has more options in an investigation. 

“There have been multiple occurrences within the last several months that have ultimately led to us being able to identify and locate perpetrators of these types of crimes, property crimes, “explained Gordon. “It is something that our officers are looking for in almost every investigation. We make sure that if there is video footage in the area, we're aware of it, and we check into the possibility of acquiring it, viewing it and seeing if it can help us. I would say that is something that we use almost daily in current policing.” 

 

Gordon proposed more solutions which may help keep packages in the hands of the intended recipients. Tracking package delivery closely will give people the chance to know an approximate time of arrival, so that they may shorten the time their purchase is left unattended. Some delivery services will even allow you to give special instructions, such as details about a hiding spot or safe location nearby.