By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Thieves targeting packages on doorsteps, believed to be following delivery trucks: Nanaimo RCMP

Nov 21, 2018 | 2:20 PM

LANTZVILLE — With the holiday shopping season rolling into full swing, Nanaimo RCMP are putting out a warning about cunning thieves targeting delivered packages left on doorsteps.

Cst. Gary O’Brien said a rural Lantzville Rd. resident saw a delivery truck leave a package at his door around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19. He said the man wasn’t able to grab the parcel right away and then spotted a strange vehicle leaving his driveway.

O’Brien said when the man checked his porch, the package was gone, only a few minutes after it was delivered.

“We believe the thieves may have been following the courier truck waiting for a drop off so they could go in and take the parcel undetected. We’ve seen this in other municipalities.”

O’Brien said a neighbour found the package tossed in some bushes and returned it to the homeowner, missing some of the items, about 20 minutes later.

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He said the crime of stealing packages from doorsteps is very common and police expect thieves to step up their efforts with Christmas on the way.

People need to take steps to ensure their often expensive deliveries aren’t sitting unprotected on porches for hours, O’Brien said.

“One of the things you can do is track the package and find out when it’s going to be dropped off so you can be there. The other thing is to ask the courier to require a signature so someone actually receives the parcel. If you can’t be there, maybe have a friend, family member or neighbour be there to grab it for you. Also, a lot of the couriers, including Canada Post, have a collection depot where you can go and pick it up at your convenience.”

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