5 Ways To Stop Porch Pirates In Barnstable

BARNSTABLE, MA — Online shopping has reached an all-time high due to the coronavirus pandemic as package thieves gear up for the holiday season in Barnstable and across the country.

So far, the porch pirate trend hasn't hit Barnstable. Police Lt. Mark Mellyn said there's been just one package reported stolen in town since Oct. 1. Mellyn credits Barnstabe's low package theft to community policing and the relationships officers and residents have fostered in town.

"In relation to community policing, members of the Barnstable police are fortunate enough to serve as police officers in a town where open two-way communication with our citizenry is highly encouraged and occurs daily," Mellyn said. "The Barnstable Police department truly appreciates when residents report suspicious activity/vehicles to assist us in keeping neighborhoods safe from crimes such as package theft."

More people are having packages delivered than ever because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Mellyn said more people are also at home during the day because of how the virus has affected local businesses.

"We have more eyes on any suspicious activity that may be occurring," Mellyn said. "Thieves are also well aware of this factor as well. In addition, technology such as Ring doorbell cameras and home security cameras have made it much harder for thieves to steal delivered packages from homes, and when a theft does occur, this technology is very helpful in catching the suspects."

Even though package theft hasn't been a large issue in Barnstable this holiday season, Mellyn said there are still things people can do to prevent themselves from being victims. Those suggestions included:

• Have all your online ordered tracked.
• If you know you won't be home when a delivery is scheduled, asks a friend, neighbor or relative to pick up and hold the package for you until you get back.

Package Theft Across the U.S.

More than 5.5 million Americans have been victimized by package thefts over the past year, according to Finder, a personal finance comparison website, in a study released in November.

About $5.4 billion worth of items were stolen in package thefts from November 2019 to November 2020, the Finder determined.

Because of the busy online shopping month of December, that number is likely to grow by the end of the year.

Fewer people were in the nation’s malls on Black Friday, and Cyber Monday is expected to become the busiest online shopping day of all time when all sales are totaled, according to The Associated Press.

Overall holiday season sales in 2020 are expected to rise 0.9 percent, with a 36 percent jump in online sales, a study by the research company eMarketer shows.

Porch pirates could see a prime opportunity to take advantage of the expected spike in packages left at front doors.

They usually get away with it, too. Only 11 percent of victims said the culprits were caught, according to a 2019 study by C+R Research.

Who Steals A Package?

Men are found to be more likely to be both package thieves and victims of the crime, according to the Finder study. With 5.29 percent of men admitting having stolen a package compared with 0.85 percent of women, men are more than 500 percent more likely to be package thieves than women, the study found.

Seventeen percent of men say a package of theirs was stolen during the past year, compared with 11 percent for women.

Still, 86 percent of the nearly 2,000 participants in the study said they have not experienced a package theft since this time last year.

Prevention Tips

Here are five tips Finder shared to help Americans keep from becoming a victim of a package theft:

• Try curbside pickup: Drive to the store; most of them offer curbside pickup options.
• Use a post office box: This will ensure the package is handled by a professional at the YOUR PATCH TOWN post office.
• Video surveillance: Doorbell cameras such as Ring can allow homeowners to scare away the thief in real time.
• Require a signature: This way, the package cannot go unattended.
• Have it sent to your workplace: Public places typically have a greater chance of using security cameras.