In the UK, an estimated 28,000 doorstep thefts occur each year, according to Quadrant, a company that supplies parcel lockers, and as reported in today’s Daily Telegraph. The term “Porch Pirates” is used for the thieves who carry out this crime and sounds as petty as shoplifting, which doesn’t do it justice.
Although 28,000 sounds like a lot of thefts and is more than just an inconvenience to the victims, industry figures in the UK show that there are approximately 3,650,000,000 home parcel deliveries each year. A phenomenal number, with the 28,000 thefts representing 0.000345% of that total figure.
With something in excess of 500,000 incidents of shoplifting annually in the UK and the multi-billion-pound response to that, what hope does doorstep have? The answer is probably little, but the issue can’t be ignored, and the parcel industry has to work with the police to formulate a response before the situation gets totally out of control.
In the meantime, all that can be done is deliver the parcel to a secure location.
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