A nugget of wisdom Hamilton, Ont., police are passing on to residents expecting packages on doorsteps this week is a package ‘out of sight is out of mind’ for thieves.
With several last-minute online shopping gifts hitting front doors ahead of the holidays, police spokesperson Const. Indy Bharaj says Hamiltonians can avoid being the victim of porch pirates by employing a few precautions, like a secure box.
“One of the creative ways that I’ve seen is individuals having packages delivered … they’ve created a box that they’ve either locked down or secured in some way to their porch, and they put a passcode on that,” Bharaj explained.
“And what they’ll do is … give that passcode to the delivery person.”
However, Bharaj stopped short of giving up a passcode for a garage and potential access to a home “where a lot of other items would be.”
A recently released survey from FedEx found that 28 per cent of Canadians polled said they’ve been victims of so-called porch pirates.
That number is growing moving from 24 per cent in 2022 and 20 per cent in 2021.
Seventy per cent of respondents expressed worries about their unattended packages being stolen after delivery.
Bharaj says compensation for a stolen package tends to be dependent on the company a customer is dealing with since there are different means of dealing with such thefts.
He suggests seeking information from both the retailer and delivery company on their “file a claim” policies and that a theft should be reported to police.
“If you were to call our non-emergency line and officers are in the area, we would go into the area and see if we can find the culprit,” Bharaj said.
“That being said, we would resort to the ring camera, to see if there’s anything we can use to identify the suspect.”
The recent FedEx survey says only about seven per cent of respondents reported stolen deliveries from their front doors to police.
Hamilton police are suggesting the following precautions to secure online deliveries:
- Install surveillance cameras at front door
- Ask a neighbour to pick-up the package from your porch
- Consider an alternate address
- Request package be held at a post office
- Request package be signed for upon delivery
Canada Post said its app allows customers to pick a safe location outside their home, such as the garage or a side door, or allow the parcel to be delivered to a nearby post office.
“We suggest to consumers when ordering online, they should make sure to read the retailer’s shipping details and choose the best option that works for them,” said Lisa Liu of Canada Post.
— with files from the Canadian Press