Delaware Grinch stealing holiday packages from doorsteps

 (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Tuesday is expected to be the busiest day of the year for package delivery, and that means more opportunities for thieves to swipe those boxes from your doorstep.

Amazon may want to consider arming the drones they say they’ll use for delivering packages in the future in order to keep those items from being stolen after they’ve been delivered.

Police in Delaware are warning about a string of thefts targeting recently delivered packages.  New Castle County Police say they’ve received reports of packages being stolen from doorsteps in several neighborhoods over the past week.  Thefts have been reported in the Wilmington area in the Cragmere community, and in the Newark area in Barrett Run and Forest Glen neighborhoods.

Police say thieves are typically searching for electronics or other high-end gifts they can turn around and sell.  

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They offer the following tips for protecting your packages this holiday season:

If you are home, always retrieve packages as well as the mail as soon as they arrive;
If you will not be home, consider having the delivery carrier hold the package at their local facility for pick-up if the service is available;
If you must have the delivery shipped to your home and can’t be home to accept the delivery, consider having a trusted neighbor pick up the package;
Send the package to the residences of a trusted friend or relative who you know will be home.  Make sure they are ready and waiting to retrieve the package when it arrives;
Request that your package is marked “signature required.” This requires the delivery person to hold delivery until you’re available to retrieve the package;
Use a company that provides a tracking service and check online to see when it is scheduled to arrive;
If you have an understanding boss, have your packages delivered to you at work.

 

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