So called ‘porch pirates’ the thieves who steal parcels.

Methinks this porch pirate stuff is over-egged. I live in a busy street with no front garden or gate and I've never had a front step parcel stolen, nor at my previous house, despite being a regular customer of Amazon and other suppliers using carriers. Royal Mail won't leave parcels on the step which is rather inconvenient. Not to say parcel theft doesn't happen occasionally to some people.

I now buy from A* the evil on line empire I said I’d ignore. It’s so convenient and delivers speedily. If I’m not in, the drivers go through the side gate and leave parcels in the greenhouse. They’re less likely to be stolen from there and the dogs make a huge racket if people walk down the side of the house.

Great comments here, acknowledging as older people we may be more inclined to see things getting worse. Things are getting worse in many ways. I walked into a scrap between an employee and a shop lifter at our pet store. The thief was a regular, he’d walk in, pick up a £75 sack of high quality dog food and walk out, telling staff “I’m off now”. He sold the items he sold at the local pub.

Casual theft as described on this thread is a symptom of the decline in our country.

We don’t even lock our doors here. Reading these posts I feel really, really blessed. Probably, in time, things will change I suppose.

They take a photo of the package being put into your hand and still I smile when they say I’ll just take a photo

@freya5
Usually the company will refund or replace stolen goods. Certainly Amazon, and Shein, personal family experience. Don't just shrug shoulders, make a claim. Perhaps delivery drivers should put them back in the van if no one at home.

If the goods have not been delivered they have no choice but to refund, that is the law. If it is stolen off the door step, then it has not been delivered.

We have an excellent Evri delivery man,always knocks
Very few of the others do and parcels just left in porch,thankfully nothing has gone astray YET!!
As for the future l despair for my children and grandchildren 😪

I agree with your sentiments, Dickens. I too fear for the future, certainly short term.

We are fortunate here in that we have a great local Evri driver who takes great care, hides parcels, and we also have a block of In-post lockers which I do try to use.

maddyone

Urmstongran

Goodness Dickens that’s terrible! I agree, I think as a society we’re becoming immune to all crimes, in that we seemingly accept bad things now as the norm. There is little deterrent. Prisons ‘are full’ and keeping inmates in them is expensive. We just feel the country is broke (skint) and broken.

You’ve summed up exactly how I feel about the situation in the UK at the moment. I keep wondering if I’m just old because every generation of older people thinks things have got worse in their lifetime, but somehow I think that it really is true that everything has seriously declined. I’m really quite depressed by it all and can see no chance of improvement whichever government is in power.

... but somehow I think that it really is true that everything has seriously declined. I’m really quite depressed by it all and can see no chance of improvement whichever government is in power.

I echo your sentiment.

It's difficult to be completely objective especially when we're talking about something that's based on a perception, and the data from CSEW ( Crime Survey for England and Wales) doesn't support that perception. The figures though have to be viewed with a certain amount of 'caution' because they are based on 9 months instead of the usual 12 months.

It's the 'sense' or feeling that we're heading in the direction of chaos, and that we're under a government that is not really in control. For me, anyway.

To put it in very simplistic terms (which of course are open to question - I'm no authority on this) I feel we are governed by a party that is focused mostly on its own survival, maintaining the status quo, and keeping its donors, backers and various supporters 'happy'... and basing its planning and its policies on that criteria. This might be OK in times of relative stability both economically and politically / socially. But, just look at the state of the nation... all is not well - and I don't need to point out all those issues that are now affecting the public at large. If you couple all this with the political 'tool' in any government's tool-box of Divide-and Rule, I can see we are heading for a perfect-storm of discontent on the one hand, and malaise on the other. All this whilst in the background the rippling effects of Ukraine and Israel are spreading continually outward.

I have no sense of 'hope' for the future. And our "Porch Pirates" - or Opportunistic Immoral Reprobates, as I prefer to call them, are just another manifestation of the current 'diseased' state of the nation.

Would also like to say that my criticism of this government does not imply automatic support for its opposition.

Charleygirl5

Today my cleaner said she had ordered clothes online for her two children. The parcel was stolen and she was distraught as it had taken her ages to save up the money.

She wanted to order a couple of ceramic heaters from Amazon so they will be delivered to my house where there is a better likelihood of me being at home to take them in.

Usually the company will refund or replace stolen goods. Certainly Amazon, and Shein, personal family experience. Don't just shrug shoulders, make a claim. Perhaps delivery drivers should put them back in the van if no one at home.

In my DD's town two years ago, there was an organised set-up that no one knew about.
Parcels were left with a convenient neighbour and a photo taken to show where and a card left. My DD could prove she was in they did not knock.
She went to where they were supposed to be and was told someone had called and taken all the parcels that had been left and was taking them around the houses being neighbourly.
The parcels had been taken by van to a warehouse where the goods were readvertised.
It was one delivery company in particular and they were caught and those involved in the scam were prosecuted.

When the package is opened it explodes with glitter and emits foul smelling fart spray which is usually a direct hit on the thief

I once did something like that - spring loaded glitter bomb (without the fart spray) to get revenge on someone who had stolen from me.

I get so annoyed at hearing stories about people who think it is okay to steal. It is not okay to steal - either buy it yourself or go without!!
People work hard to earn a wage to be able to buy things for themselves and their families - it not unreasonable to expect that others should do the same.
Being home most of the day - I will happily take in parcels for my neighbours who all return the favour when needed - rather let some lowlife steal it. But local FB pages regularly report parcels having gone missing from terraced properties in the locality. I feel for anyone who has been caught out by 'porch pirates'

Urmstongran

Goodness Dickens that’s terrible! I agree, I think as a society we’re becoming immune to all crimes, in that we seemingly accept bad things now as the norm. There is little deterrent. Prisons ‘are full’ and keeping inmates in them is expensive. We just feel the country is broke (skint) and broken.

You’ve summed up exactly how I feel about the situation in the UK at the moment. I keep wondering if I’m just old because every generation of older people thinks things have got worse in their lifetime, but somehow I think that it really is true that everything has seriously declined. I’m really quite depressed by it all and can see no chance of improvement whichever government is in power.

Urmstongran

At least the term ‘porch pirates’ might stick in householder’s minds and alert them to what’s going on - especially this month.
😮

Totally agree, I am sure that I am keeping a fair few delivery drivers in work recently. I check that DH will be home, if not it’s fingers crossed they hide the parcel well or in some cases lob it over the side gate.

(Our nearest indoor shopping mall Lakeside is going down hill rapidly, so I have to go to Chelmsford which is good, but it’s a traditional shopping High Street not good in rain or very cold weather. I cadge a lift from AC who are going to Bluewater the other side of the Thames for a proper shop. (The traffic through the Dartford Tunnel and over the QE2 Bridge is horrendous, OK when I am in DH’s big car but rather scary when in my little sporty job 🙀) )

At least the term ‘porch pirates’ might stick in householder’s minds and alert them to what’s going on - especially this month.
😮

Always ideal to check the return policy before purchase, many have home collection.

I wouldn’t give them the glamour of calling them porch pirates. Just a###holes.

There is a guy in the U.S who launched a campaign against parcel thieves a few years ago. He goes to extraordinary lengths to booby trap fake parcel boxes and arrange for them to be left on doorsteps . He’s made a career out of it and receives sponsorship from tech companies for cctv and recording equipment he puts in the parcel. There are lots of his clips on YouTube and they’ve been viewed millions of times.

He took inspiration from the Home Alone movie and sets elaborate booby traps with motion sensors in the box which trigger recording equipment when it’s moved and an internal mobile phone camera films the thief’s reaction as they open the box. The footage is relayed back to his iCloud. When the package is opened it explodes with glitter and emits foul smelling fart spray which is usually a direct hit on the thief.

His name is Mark Rober if you want to see some of his clips on YouTube.

Urmstongran

Goodness Dickens that’s terrible! I agree, I think as a society we’re becoming immune to all crimes, in that we seemingly accept bad things now as the norm. There is little deterrent. Prisons ‘are full’ and keeping inmates in them is expensive. We just feel the country is broke (skint) and broken.

Sadly all so true Urms

I wouldn’t want to be a multi-drop delivery driver, especially in the run up to Christmas

The main couriers cant cope with the seasonal rush so they take on a lot of nicky-no-name drivers and they are the ones to watch. I tend to use UPS and Fedex for outgoing packages over a certain value as I have regular drivers. Similarly if I order goods in the UK I dont mind paying the extra for a proper courier service and to insure the contents. Ive had a lot of problems with ParcelForce and Evri.

I wouldn’t want to be a multi-drop delivery driver, especially in the run up to Christmas.

Last week in the the charity shop I volunteer at we had 2 thieves, a mother and daughter. The mother was in a small mobility scooter.
It wasn’t until they left ( without buying anything, some do) that we noticed a new handbag and several Xmas decorations were gone.
When we looked at the cctv it showed clearly the items going under the mother’s blanket.
We have sent the film to the 3 charity shops near us and the police.

OldFrill

This has prompted the growth of secure lockers, at supermarkets, petrol stations etc. I always use them for returns (often it's a requirement). Simple and secure.

Yes, I’ve had to lug an enormous box to one of those! Not convenient for the buss route and hardly worth two taxis to return something. Not everyone has a car

Irresponsible delivery drivers are partly to blame. If there is no secure place to leave a parcel, they should take it away and the customer told to collect it from the depot. Leaving parcels exposed on a doorstep is just asking for them to be stolen.

AreWeThereYet

Dickens

... oh, and I think the media should stop with the "Porch Pirates" nonsense, it lends an air of swashbuckling glamour to their theft. They're not Johnny Depp, they're just a worthless bunch of contemptible opportunistic low-life.

We were just saying the same thing.

Many, many years ago I remember watching one of those shows like Jeremy Kyle (can't remember which one) and a man said 'I am a professional burglar. It's my job. It's how I pay my bills and feed my family. What we steal is insured so no one looses out except the rich insurance companies'. He seemed to think it wrong that he had to go to jail because of it. There have always been thieves and thugs, I think the difference is that they used to know that what they did was wrong. The morality bar is now set so low it doesn't really exist.

... and a man said 'I am a professional burglar. It's my job. It's how I pay my bills and feed my family