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Authorities Issue Seasonal 'Porch Pirate' Alerts in Australia and the UK

Authorities urge secure delivery choices to reduce theft risk during the holiday rush.

Overview

  • Australia Post security chief Kevin Zuccato urges customers to use parcel lockers, the AusPost app for tracking and safe-place instructions, or Post Office collection, and to report suspected thefts to police or Crime Stoppers.
  • Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Stella Smith warns parcel theft typically rises at Christmas, with opportunistic offenders looking to strike quickly and quietly.
  • New UK data from delivery-technology firm Quadient estimates £666.5 million of parcels stolen in the past year, a 77% increase, with December identified as the peak and higher risk in Leicestershire and multi-occupancy buildings.
  • Police in the UK urge victims to report every theft and say intelligence-led operations have produced arrests targeting gangs that prey on delivery vans and unattended packages.
  • Local alerts, including from Coventry’s Radford policing team, advise tracking deliveries, using doorbell cameras, arranging drop-offs to trusted neighbours, or choosing off-site locker services to avoid losses.