Tips on preventing package and gift thefts
No one ever wants a Grinch-like porch pirates to steal Christmas. With the holiday season still underway, the Palm Springs Police Chief Brian Reyes sent out a tweet to remind residents not become a target.
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/PSPDChiefReyes/status/945708607382863872″,”author_name”:”Chief Bryan Reyes”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/PSPDChiefReyes”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;Don’t leave your holiday GIFT packaging curbside as an advertisement for criminals. Let’s work together to prevent crime. &#lt;a href=”https://t.co/t5Ao23cJn3″&#gt;pic.twitter.com/t5Ao23cJn3&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/p&#gt;– Chief Bryan Reyes (@PSPDChiefReyes) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/PSPDChiefReyes/status/945708607382863872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;December 26, 2017&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
“Criminals, most burglars, are looking for crimes of opportunity. If you take those steps to eliminate that opportunity, more than likely you’ll have of preventing a burglary at your home,” said Sergeant William Hutchinson, public information officer for PSPD.
Hutchinson said this includes breaking down the boxes your valuable gifts came in and securing your mail to prevent identity theft.
One shopper we spoke with in Cabazon said he’s taking necessary steps, like installing a security camera as a deterrent. Betsy Butwin, a shopper from Minnesota, said she is not too worried if her property is taken.
“If it happens we report it to Amazon or whoever we’re buying from and they’re usually pretty understanding,” said Butwin said.
Hutchinson said nearly all thefts are preventable if homeowners also do their part.
“Anything you can do to make your house less inviting, the better. Some people want to live in Fort Knox, some people want to invest in very small amounts,” Hutchinson said.
PSPD say if you can, save your receipts, and get the serial numbers of your merchandise. That way, officers will have an easier time recovering your property if it is stolen.
