West Point PD warns residents about the uptick in package theft
WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) – The way we shop for Christmas, and all year ’round, really, has changed.
The rise of online shopping has led to a rise in home deliveries.
Unfortunately, criminals are adapting to the trend as well.
It used to be enough to get a package delivered to your home.
Now, there’s often a chance that you still may not get it once it reaches your doorstep.
Optin Monster reports that in 2025, around 22% of global retail sales were made online.
But getting the product from the website to your hands sometimes involves unwanted middlemen – Porch Pirates.
Law enforcement agencies are working with consumers to help them make sure those packages get where they belong.
Online shopping is convenient. Instead of dealing with crowds and limited inventories, you can point and click and get almost anything you need.
But when those packages leave the warehouse and head to your house, there’s still a chance you may not see them.
West Point PD Lieutenant Carl Carter said reports of theft and fraud consistently increase during the holiday season.
One issue they’ve seen is the rise of a specialized thief, the porch pirate. Individuals who wait for the delivery person to do their job, and then grab the package, often before the customer even knows it’s been delivered.
Carter said having home surveillance gives police a better chance of solving these crimes.
“Security is really big nowadays,” Carter said. “A lot of people are getting Ring cameras and installing those. Ring is just a brand that people use, but any type of security system is really good to have on your property and primarily for the Porch Pirate situation, too, just for any other crime or situation that may happen on your property that you may need to be aware of or take caution of.”
Research from Safewise shows that more than 25,000 packages nationwide are stolen every day.
Carter said it helps to have good neighbors or someone else you can trust to help keep an eye out.
“I want to make sure people are delivering instructions given during the times that you order those packages,” Carter said. “Best case scenario, if you or somebody can be home or even have a neighbor check on you, packages when they are picked up, and where those packages are not left exposed for a long period of time.”
West Point Police said if your packages do disappear, the first thing you should do is contact the vendor you bought the product from. And when you can determine that the package has been stolen contact law enforcement.
