Calgary mother Deanna Brosseau says they were left on her doorstep for less than 10 minutes, but that was still enough time for someone to steal five packages delivered to her home Tuesday morning.
READ MORE: Blame thieves for stolen goods, not mail carriers: Canada Post union
Brosseau says she was upstairs changing her nine-month-old baby when the packages were delivered. They contained everything from custom-made Christmas gifts to baby supplies, valued at about $300.
But she caught the whole thing on security camera and is now going public in hopes of finding the person who did it. She also wants to send a warning to others expecting deliveries over the holidays.
“It was terrifying at first. I didn’t know what to do or who to call. I felt extremely violated,” Brosseau said.
The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is now investigating, calling the man in the security video a suspect and reaching out to the public for help identifying him.
READ MORE: Why a B.C. woman says Canada Post’s ‘safe drop’ is not safe
The CPS doesn’t have hard numbers on parcel thefts, but Sgt. Andrew Critchley with Calgary’s crime prevention unit says “it’s no surprise this time of year.”
“There’s more parcels on doors. There’s a greater opportunity to identify perhaps a vulnerability in the security of a parcel.”
Canada Post says it’s expecting record package delivery numbers over the holidays.
“Across country, we projected parcel volumes will grow by 20 per cent in November and December 2017, compared to our record volumes in 2016,” Canada Post wrote in an emailed statement to Global News.
CPS has some simple tips to avoid having your deliveries stolen:
- Pick up the package at a depot instead of having it delivered to your door
- Make sure a signature is needed for the package to be dropped off
- Select a specific time for the package to be delivered to ensure you are home
- Have an alternate address (possibly a neighbour’s house) where the package can safely be dropped off at
- Leave a note on your door specifying you do not want a package left on your doorstep and will pick it up at another time
UPS told Global News anyone shipping a package can get insurance for its contents, make a signature mandatory for drop-off, or hold the package at a depot location if the receiver isn’t home.
Luckily for Brosseau, she bought most of her purchases online with added security should something like this happen, so most of the contents are being replaced.
But from now on, she says she won’t take any chances and will pick up all packages from a depot to ensure they’re safe.
“The spirit of Christmas really to me is being kind and spreading kindness and love. And this just wasn’t an act of that.”
Comments