A man has been charged and thousands of dollars worth of stolen Christmas presents have been recovered in a Vancouver police operation targeting “porch pirates.”
Police searched a Burnaby, B.C., property as part of the month-long investigation, and recovered Nike runners, golf clubs, scooters, tools, and dozens of other gifts. Most have been returned to owners, police said in a Thursday news release.
“Every year, the holiday season brings an increase in parcel thefts, as the convenience of online shopping creates easy opportunities for thieves,” said Const. Tania Visintin in a release.
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“The porch pirates follow vans for Amazon, UPS, and other delivery companies, then steal packages from peoples’ doorsteps after drivers drop them off.”
A suspect has now been charged with two counts of theft. The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 7, the force received 146 reports of package theft, almost half of which occurred in November alone. Most thefts occur in residential areas, police said.
To avoid being victimized, police recommended shipping goods to an office, or the home of a friend who will be there to pick it up, requesting a signature for delivery, or installing a package lockbox.