Alleged thief poses as helpful neighbour to steal parcels

Angie (37) and Duncan Fulker (40), a couple from Tolladine in Worcester, say they have caught a thief on camera, stealing Christmas gifts worth £155. The items had been ordered from Amazon, and were being delivered to their home.

Project engineer Duncan told the Worcester News that he received a card saying a parcel had been left with a neighbour, so he popped round to collect it. She said that she hadn't received anything, so he checked the CCTV footage of the outside of his property.

He told the Daily Mail: "So I got the CCTV and found it shows the delivery driver coming down the pathway with a large box and an A4 envelope. He knocks the door, we're not in, so he goes to our neighbour's door then two or three minutes later you see this guy deliver the packet but not the box."
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The man - who doesn't live next door, and isn't known by the people who do - answered the door, and took two packages in. He later delivered just one of the packages to the Fulker's house. Shortly afterwards a man is seen leaving the property next door with bags. It's worth pointing out, however, that the footage doesn't make it clear whether it's the same man, so we cannot assume it is the thief.

Duncan believes that a man posed as a neighbour to steal computer games he had bought for his two sons. He posted an appeal on Facebook for their help in identifying the man. He added that he and his data analyst wife have now passed footage to the police.

Amazon, meanwhile, has said it will replace the presents but will not be able to deliver some of them in time for Christmas.

Thefts

We will have to wait for the outcome of their investigation before we can know whether this really was a theft. However, it's the latest in a long line of headlines outlining problems with parcel deliveries - and a number of thefts.

In November, there were reports of a delivery driver in Stirling, who arrived with two parcels to deliver to a flat. When he arrived he saw another parcel sitting on the mat, so he took the opportunity to nick that one, and left with three parcels.

Earlier this month we also reported on the delivery driver who was caught on CCTV putting a note through the door saying that an X-Box had been left in the wheelie bin. The homeowner checked the bin and found nothing there, so looked through the CCTV footage and discovered that the driver had left a note, and scarpered with the package.

Why?

The number of parcel thefts is soaring, partly because so many delivery drivers are now paid per item. They drive to the depot in the morning, receive any parcels that have been sent to their area, and then have to deliver them all by the end of the day. They can receive as little as 45p per package, and none if they fail to deliver.

It means that if they want to make the minimum wage (and be finished before nightfall at this time of year) they need to deliver each one in less than five minutes, which means doing everything they can to leave the parcel first time. It has led to more parcels being left around the property, in bins, on doorsteps, or with neighbours further and further from the house. This, in turn, creates opportunities for thieves.

A number of people have set up CCTV equipment to protect their homes, while others have standing arrangements with particular neighbours to take parcels in when they aren't home - and put a permanent note on the door outlining the neighbours to try.

But what do you think? Have you had any parcels go astray, and how do you protect your deliveries? Let us know in the comments.