With the holiday season upon us, Edmonton police say there has been a spike in the number of parcel thefts in the city.
Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 28, police said they investigated 17 parcel thefts in Edmonton.
Police said they’ve even come across cases where suspects follow delivery trucks and make off with parcels left on doorsteps.
“As the popularity of online shopping grows, so too does the number incidents reported to police related to parcel theft,” Staff Sgt. Darryl Fox said in a media release Thursday afternoon.
“Some companies will even offer their customers gift-wrapping services, which makes it pretty obvious for thieves to identify.”
Officers encourage online shoppers to use the delivery tracking app and have someone home to collect the package when possible. If someone can’t be at home, police said customers should reach out to the company to see if they can leave the package on the back porch or at another address where someone is home.
On Thursday, police released a surveillance picture of a man they allege is connected with a parcel theft in the area of 106 Avenue and 105 Street on Nov. 19.
Anyone with information about this incident or any other parcel theft is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.