With the holiday season here and plenty of Airdronians and Albertans online shopping, the Alberta RCMP has provided some tips for preventing the Grinch from stealing your presents.

In the Alberta RCMP's jurisdiction, there have been more than 580 reports of mail theft from January to October of this year. Within the Alberta RCMP's jurisdiction, there were more than 720 instances of mail theft in 2022 alone.

Here are the tips the RCMP have provided:

  • When possible, opt for a “signature required” delivery, or provide instructions for the delivery person to leave your items out of sight.
  • Tracking shipments helps ensure you know exactly when something lands on your doorstep, so you or a trusted neighbour can grab it before someone else does!
  • If possible, arrange for the delivery to be scheduled when you’re home.
  • Have packages shipped directly to a Canada Post or other delivery service pick-up location. This is a free service and a great option for large or valuable items.
  • Installing a doorbell camera and motion sensor lights can be a great deterrent for opportunistic criminals.
  • Never send cash or other forms of payment through the mail.
  • If you’ll be away for the holidays, use Canada Post’s “Hold Mail” service to suspend your mail delivery until you return.
  • If you see suspicious activity in your mailbox, report it immediately to your local police.

According to Airdrie RCMP, this time last year and into the new year, there were six thefts of packages or parcels that was reported, one was a mailbox theft, and one was either a mailbox or a porch (the package was reported as delivered but did not specify if it was then delivered to the residence or to a mailbox). The remaining four were from porches.

According to a 2022 FedEx Survey, at least 69 per cent of those who participated in the survey expressed that they were, at least somewhat worried about package theft, an 8-point increase from 2021.' The survey added that 44 per cent of Canadians reported that they had one or more packages stolen in 2022. 

If you believe your parcels have been stolen, you should always report the theft or suspicious activity to the police immediately.

Send your news tips story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. You can scan the QR code to download it.

qr

Related Stories