With the Christmas shopping season in full swing, the North Reading Police would like to remind residents to be safety and security conscious with your shopping packages and deliveries to home. We recently posted a video from the Denver Police Department that shows viewers what criminals may be looking for in shopping center parking areas. Even though the Denver Broncos ruined the New England Patriots undefeated record, we can still use the tips from this video to prevent holiday thieves from ruining our day, car, shopping trip or credit ratings.
With more and more people shopping on the internet, this means more and more deliveries to our homes. Thieves are wise to this, and will often follow delivery vans and then steal unattended packages. There are some options to help keep your deliveries from getting into the wrong hands. Most shipping companies will allow you to sign up for tracking and delivery notifications. This way you can ensure you are home to receive your packages. Can’t be home? Have your packages shipped to an address that someone can take the packages for you. This could be a neighbor, an in-law or your workplace.
Remember; see something, say something. If something or someone looks out of place in your neighborhood, call 911. You are our eyes and ears; no one knows their neighborhoods better than you. We would rather investigate a suspicious person and have it turn out to be a false alarm then to have someone’s home broken into or their packages stolen.
Happy holidays!