Porch Piracy Won’t Stop Until We Make It Nearly Impossible
Have you ever lost merchandise to porch pirates? If the statistics are accurate, you probably have. Most Americans have lost at least one package; many have lost more than one. Here’s the thing: porch piracy will not stop until we make it nearly impossible to pull off. That is just the reality.
Every crime ever perpetrated has at least some measure of opportunity connected with it. Some crimes are more opportunity-oriented than others, porch piracy being one of them. The best way to stop this particular crime in its tracks is to not give criminals the opportunity. Take the opportunity away and the crime disappears with it.
It Used to Be Novel
Porch piracy used to be a novel crime in the sense that not a whole lot of people were victimized by at. But that’s only because porch piracy took a while to catch on. Now that it is a nearly universal problem across the U.S., more and more American households are being victimized by opportunistic thieves.
A survey conducted by Vivint Smart Home reveals that 80% of American households have been victimized by porch piracy during the busy holiday season. That is an incredible number by any measure. Is there any other crime with such a prolific impact?
Thieves take advantage of the many more opportunities holiday shopping offers. Rest assured they do not work for three months out of the year and vacation the remaining nine. Porch pirates absolutely do better during the holidays, but they are active throughout the year.
Too Many Easy Opportunities
We don’t have to wonder why porch piracy is so rampant. All we need to do is look out the window. Take my experience. I am a freelance writer who works from home. I can clearly see the front doors and driveways of eight homes just by looking out my front and side windows. Every day I see delivery trucks arrive with packages. Drivers leave them by front and side doors and walk away.
No porch pirate would be able to steal from these homes without me noticing. But I am the exception to the rule. My neighborhood is also an exception in that most people who live here are retired. What about all those neighborhoods that are virtually empty during the day when parents are at work and kids are in school?
The reality is that there are too many easy opportunities for porch pirates to do what they do. They don’t even have to go hunting for packages. All they have to do is drive down the road until they come across a delivery truck. Then it’s a simple matter of following the truck around and grabbing packages as they are delivered.
It is Time to Change Things
I count myself fortunate to be among the 20% that have never been victimized by porch pirates. It is not because I’m special. It’s because I am here when packages are delivered. Nonetheless, my own experience tells me that we can stop porch piracy if we simply take away the opportunity to commit the crime.
It is time to change things. It’s time to find ways to have packages delivered without drivers needing to leave them in clear view on front porches and stoops. Remote and secure drop-off locations is one solution, and a great one at that. But there are other solutions that work just as effectively.
Until we take the opportunities away, porch pirates will continue to ply their trade. The crime is far too easy to resist at this point. Is it any wonder it is so common?