Hamilton police warn of increased porch thefts during holiday months

Hamilton police say porch thefts have dropped since last year, but instances have increased 125 per cent since 2020.

Package theft is a growing concern and a November survey from FedEx found that one in ten Canadians say they’ve experienced this at least once this year.

Officers told CHCH News package thefts happen consistently throughout the year, but an uptick of thefts occur during November and December, with December numbers accounting for double the numbers over summer months.

Hamilton Police Const. Trevor McKenna says porch thefts are “a crime of opportunity.”

“November and December are the busiest months, with people receiving packages for Christmas – this is when it hits the most,” he said. “People are at work during the daytime and that’s when these packages are being delivered.”

McKenna suggests using surveillance systems to keep an eye on incoming expectant packages such as porch or ring cameras, and if anyone has information they should contact police immediately.

Porch thefts occurring across Hamilton

Hamilton police released a report saying porch theft has declined this year by about 11 per cent compared to last year.

Police saw the highest number of theft with over 600 instances while 2020 saw the lowest.

While Hamilton police do not track data within each neighbourhood, they do say some neighbourhoods with the most number of occurrences are in Lansdale, Durand, Gibson and Corktown with 100 occurrences over the past four years.

Beasley, Stinson, Central, Kirkendall North, Stipley and Strathcona reported over 50 package thefts in the same time frame.

45 per cent of crime happened in these areas.

Police say around two per cent of suspects are charged, about five per cent of victims don’t want to press charges and nearly 90 per cent of incidents don’t have sufficient evidence.

READ MORE: FedEx survey says 61 per cent of Ontario shoppers worry about “porch pirates”