'Porch pirates' are criminals who are brazzen enough to steal a delivered package right off your porch, sometimes right in the middle of the day. (Right Frame Photo Video/Dreamstime)

By Jordan Davidson

protect your stuff

Porch pirates see a drop in plundered booty as Nanaimo neighbours keep watch

Dec 1, 2021 | 10:28 AM

NANAIMO — ‘Tis the season for thieving.

With the rise in online orders thanks to new technology and the pandemic keeping people indoors, ordering products to be delivered to your home has given birth to a whole new genre of criminals known as porch pirates.

Cst. Gary O’Brien said the volume of parcels being nabbed are down in Nanaimo, with people paying more attention and reporting any suspicious vehicle or person eyeing packages.

“Often what criminals will do is follow delivery vans around the city, wait for parcels to be dropped off and then pick their time to come in and steal it. They may get away with one or two thefts, but we will catch them at the end of the day and hopefully put a stop to it.”

Police used door bell camera footage to help catch a porch pirate well known to them and other RCMP detachments across the upper Island in December 2020.

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At this time last year, O’Brien said they’d had about 4 or 5 reported thefts and a lot of calls regarding suspicious activity.

He added there are a number of ways to avoid falling victim to these crimes of opportunity.

The easiest way is to make sure someone is home at the time of delivery.

“If you can’t be there, have it delivered to your workplace or a trusted neighbour, or you can also check to see if it can stay at the local depot so you can go in on your own time and pick it up.”

O’Brien said if none of those options are available, you can ask the delivery driver to leave it in a less obvious location at your house or see if it can be delivered at a time when you’re at home.

For now, reporting all suspicious activity really helps local police gather intelligence on where and when these porch pirates are striking.

“The neighbourhoods in Nanaimo are really switched on. They look after each other. We have great communication with them and that’s via our Block Watch program, so it’s a two-way flow of information.”

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow