Package thefts increase at holiday time

In recent weeks, there has been a spate of packages stolen from stoops in Rockville Centre and communities all over Nassau County.

Rockville Centre police reported many packages being stolen in the end of November and the beginning of December as people began shopping online for the holidays. It’s a common crime that happens around this time of year.

Rockville Centre Police Department Lieutenant Christopher Romance said it is a crime of opportunity, and the police are working to stop it.

“Right now, we’re conducting intensified patrols in the area, and we’re on the lookout for packages being delivered,” Romance said. “We’re looking to see if anyone’s following vehicles, suspicious people walking around and looking up driveways and stoops.”

Romance said that the police are following delivery trucks in both marked and unmarked cars to see if anyone else is tailing them. The officers are also on the lookout for other suspicious activity, like people going up and knocking on doors for no reason, just so they can get on the stoop where the packages are.

The police department also offered some tips to help residents not become a victim:

- Report all suspicious vehicles and persons by calling 9-1-1 immediately.

- Talk to your neighbors. Ask them to keep an eye out for you. If you anticipate a delivery, ask a neighbor, friend or relative to retrieve it for you.

- Be alert for your neighbors if you are home during the day.

- If an employer permits, have packages delivered to your workplace in order to receive it immediately.

- With tracking readily available online from most merchants, you can determine when to expect your delivery.

- Likewise, have your neighbor’s back. That means you shouldn’t hesitate to call the police if you see a crime happening.

- Don’t hesitate to call the police if you’ve been victimized, even if it’s something small. This helps officers on patrol to focus on areas that need the most help.

- Ask to have your delivery kept at the post office. That means an extra trip to pick it up, but it’s less annoying than having your package stolen.

- Have packages delivered later in the evening if possible, when you are home.

- If possible, have packages delivered to a side or back door so they’re not visible from the street.

- Ask a carrier to deliver to an alternate address or to require a signature for delivery if you know you will not be home when a package is to be delivered.