How to protect your holidays packages from porch pirates? Police officers offer a few tips
It’s that time of year when people buy holiday gifts online.
That means it's also porch pirate season.
“Porch pirate” is a slang term given to package thieves — people who look out for packages left at front doors, then steal them while the intended recipient is at work or otherwise not home.
“We see some of these packages sitting on front lawns for hours, and it’s inviting the criminals to do their Christmas shopping,” said Richard Briggs, acting police chief in Ashland.
Package theft typically increases during the holidays as more people take to online retailers such as Amazon or Etsy to buy gifts. Last week, Ashland police arrested two men they said took several packages from a front porch. Luckily, Briggs said, a neighbor witnessed the theft and called police, leading to a quick arrest.
Briggs and other area police officers offered several tips to help prevent packages from being stolen. Several companies sell lock boxes that can be installed at the house that delivery people can have a key to secure the package until the recipient returns home.
“Leave instructions for packages to be left at side doors so they’re not exposed to the street all day,” said Briggs. “Having a camera, like a Ring camera, can also help.”
Framingham police spokeswoman Lt. Rachel Mickens said cameras are good tools to help solve thefts, but they don’t prevent them.
“I feel like doing something beforehand is a better solution,” she said.
Porch pirates, be gone!: Here are 4 ways to protect your parcels this holiday season
She said many online retailers, including Amazon, have partnered with local businesses to act as drop-off points for packages. So instead of the package being dropped and being left unattended, the recipient can stop at a store on the way home and collect the package there.
In some cases, those ordering packages can require that they be dropped off only with a signature, or they can be tracked online, she said.
“That’s something I do,” she said. “I get an alert and I can ask a neighbor or someone to grab the package for me and I can get it from them when I come home.”
Another option is to have the package delivered to a place of work so it will be safe, Natick police spokeswoman Lt. Cara Rossi said. A visible security system can be a deterrent.
“In a perfect world, you would have packages delivered when you are home, but who is home nowadays,” she said. “It’s sad you have to take these measures but it’s the world we live in today.”
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Milford's acting police chief, James Falvey, said making the drop-off location as unattractive to thieves as possible can be a deterrent. He said requesting that packages be dropped off in an area in which neighbors have a clear view, is well lighted or has a visible security system could deter potential thieves.
“Make it an environment that they think they’ll get caught,” said Falvey. “Make the area as least attractive to them as possible, so they think they’ll be seen.”
The state Office of Consumer Affairs also offers some additional tips. It suggests requiring signatures, requesting delivery confirmation, insuring packages, arranging pickups at the post office or other locations and if sending a package to someone else, alert them when the package is delivered.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Police offer tips to protect holiday package deliveries from theft
