Police ramping up bait package program for the holidays in New Westminster

Bogus delivery boxes and envelopes, designed to look like the real thing, have led to a big drop in porch theft in New Westminster.

The bait package program was launched about a year ago, and police confirmed the number of so-called porch pirate incidents is down 30 per cent, compared to last year.

“Which is a significant difference for us,” said Sgt. Justine Thom of the New Westminster Police Department.

The fake deliveries look genuine and come in all different shapes, sizes and weights, “so people don't know that it is a bait package,” Thom said.

They are placed strategically in hard hit areas, including on doorsteps, outside stores, and in apartment building mailrooms.

Thom wouldn't reveal what’s in the box exactly, and how it works, but compared it to the bait car program.

“This technology within these programs obviously highlights to our investigators when a package has legs, so to speak,” she said. In other words, police will know when it’s suddenly on the move, and can track it a long way.

The program hasn’t stopped porch theft altogether, so police will be ramping up this game of cat and mouse.

“We don't want Grinches. We don't want people’s holiday season ruined,” added Thom.

“This is one of the things that we have seen make a difference within our community.”