It\u2019s exactly two weeks until Christmas day, which may mean that people still have packages being delivered to their homes. But that also means that those pesky porch pirates are on the prowl.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a porch pirate? It\u2019s someone who steals packages off your front doorstep or porch, especially during the holiday season.<\/p>\n
Sarah Bowers-Peter, program coordinator for Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington, said one of the best ways to deter a porch pirate is by making sure your packages are not being delivered to a visible spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s an area you can have it delivered to, a side door, or some people have containers, or some kind of distraction that you can\u2019t see it so easily from the street, that\u2019s a big help,\u201d Bowers-Peter said.<\/p>\n
Bowers-Peter said you can also shop local and avoid having a packaged delivered to your home, and pick-it up yourself curbside, or have your parcel delivered to your work, or a family member or friends\u2019 home.<\/p>\n
Another tip to keep in mind this holiday season is to avoid what Kevin McCallister\u2019s father does in the movie Home Alone,\u00a0<\/em>when he tells a criminal dressed up as a fake cop that he\u2019s taking his whole family to Florida for the holidays.<\/p>\n Bowers-Peter said you definitely don\u2019t want to post that your home won\u2019t be attended for a certain period of time because that sends a message out to the criminal that they have an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd most people don\u2019t have security settings nearly high enough on their social media platforms, so even though they think they\u2019re just sharing that information with friends and family, it\u2019s actually being shared more broadly, and people that you don\u2019t know are aware of your schedule,\u201d Bowers-Peter said.<\/p>\n She said this goes hand in glove with not posting photos of your expensive Christmas gifts online, that way you\u2019re not advertising that they are in your home.<\/p>\n The holiday season is also a good time to bond with your neighbours to make sure the Grinch doesn\u2019t pay your area a visit.<\/p>\n Bowers-Peter said the organization is very much about community investment, and looking out for one another.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we talk about, you know, a neighbourhood making sure that all homes are looking lived in and maintained, so that there\u2019s not a house on the street that looks unattended or appealing to a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n She said by everyone looking out for one another\u2019s property, it\u2019s easy to detect an individual they don\u2019t recognize, which in turn, may prevent a crime from happening.<\/p>\n Sarah Bowers-Peter, program coordinator for Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n