'It's just common sense': EPS warns of porch pirates and theft amid the holidays

Superintendent Trevor Hermanutz with the Edmonton police service joined CTV Morning Live’s Kent Morrison to discuss ways of protecting yourself and your property during the holidays.

 

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Kent Morrison: Amid the joy of the season, there is danger still lurking. What should people generally be looking out for during this holiday season?

Trevor Hermanutz: It’s the holiday season of giving, and we all get presents for people. Primarily, we see a real increase in thefts, so theft prevention is probably the biggest thing I can give people for advice at this time of year. Protect your valuables, protect your presents.

Kent: There was a recent report that said 1-in-10 Canadians have been impacted by porch pirates. Have you seen an increase of that here in the city?

Trevor: It is because you'll see a lot of deliveries occurring. It used to be where you go to the stores and buy your presents, but now a lot of people do online shopping. A lot of deliveries come to your home, and we've seen an increase in that especially at this time of year.

Kent: What should people do to help protect themselves?

Trevor: Something we got to bring to the forefront of their minds is if you have deliveries, try and be home. When you have deliveries, have them deliver to a safe spot, maybe hidden on your porch. Talk to your neighbors and have them pick it up for you, or even deliver it to a safer place. If you have somewhere more public, have them delivered to a place where you can accept the deliveries. It's little tips that they can do, to protect their own parcels.

Kent: You mentioned people going to physical stores, and a lot of times, that's a big day where you're shopping in different places and leaving things in your car at some point as you go to a different store. How can people best protect their vehicles at this time of year?

Trevor: It's exciting times, especially being able to buy presents for your families. When you bring your presents back to your vehicles, try not to leave them in plain view. Lock them in the trunk, and cover them with a blanket. The easiest thing for people is if they see it, they'll try and take it. Put it away safely, lock your car, park it in an area that's really well lit. Just little things you can do makes a difference, because if it's easy, they'll take it. If it's not there, they’ll move on to the next.

Kent: And it can happen quickly, even if you're in the store for a few minutes.

Trevor: Very quickly. I know it's sometimes a little more of an inconvenience, but open up your trunk, and throw them in there. It’s much safer.

Kent: A lot of people are taking off for the holidays as well. Is there anything that they can do while they're away?

Trevor: First thing, don't let everyone know, don't post on social media that you're going to be away for an extended period of time so people are aware of that. Lighting, a lot of it is just having your house well lighted. Have someone check on your house regularly. If you're having deliveries, postpone the deliveries if you can, or have a neighbor check on your house periodically. It's just having a little bit of common sense and just taking precautions.

Kent: Another big thing during the holidays is check stops and impaired driving. What do you have to say about the effectiveness of check stops?

Trevor: I'd like to say that we're trending in the right direction, but it seems like we're almost on par for what we did last year. It's just education. I think the biggest thing for all of us, is if you drink, just don't drive. That comes from various levels of impairment, from drugs to alcohol. I know we all want to go and have fun with our friends, and we all want to enjoy the season, but make plans. Call an Uber, have a designated driver. It's really important this time of year, because we all want to spend time with loved ones, and the worst thing you want is something happening to them.

Kent: And that goes for night and the next morning too.

Trevor: Correct. Anytime you go and you have a good evening and you come home, it takes a few hours for it to move through your system, so be prepared for that too. If you're going to go out and enjoy the season, just understand that a lot of the lasting effects of alcohol and drugs remain in your system for quite some time.

Kent: More information on how to keep safe this season is on edmontonpolice.ca.