Londoners nailed by porch pirates warn they're out in force this holiday season

With many Londoners doing their shopping online this holiday season, victims of porch piracy are warning that thieves in London are faster than ever.

Matthew Heard had $150 worth of gifts stolen from his west London front porch in mid-November about 20 minutes after they were delivered. 

"I left a note with instructions where to drop off the packages on the property and the Amazon guy didn't read it and just left the packages right on the front door, open for anyone to come grab," Heard said.

He was lucky to receive a refund due to the failure of the delivery person to follow instructions. But other Londoners haven't been so fortunate. 

Emmalee Hill-Brown had a gaming microphone that retails for about $178 stolen from the side of her south London house, despite it being tucked out of sight by the delivery person.  

"It was hidden from the road and anyone walking by would not be able to see it," Hill-Brown said. "My boyfriend got the notification that it was delivered and went out to grab it within 5 minutes and it was gone."

A FedEx survey done with Angus Reid in October found porch thefts are on the rise in Canada. Of the more than 1,500 respondents, 28 per cent said they'd had packages stolen this year. The year before, 24 per cent said they had been victims.

London Police say one of the easiest ways to avoid having packages stolen is to ask a neighbour to collect them. They also suggest placing a bin near your front porch to keep packages hidden, requesting a signature on delivery by the driver and install video surveillance to help identify thieves.

"If your neighbour knows you won't be there, just contact them in advance and let them know that you're expecting a package," said Const. Sandasha Bough.

Heard said he's going to invest in a lockable storage box for delivery drivers to put packages in while he's at work.

"They're a little expensive but we're going to get one," he said. "My brother also had a package stolen this month. Stuff like this is needed."

As for Hill-Brown's gaming microphone, she spotted it for sale on Facebook marketplace.

"One of my neighbours knew the person that had the ad and contacted them because they're family friends," Hill-Brown said. "They returned the package to my neighbour and then we picked it up from there."

She said they didn't press charges

"He was a younger gentleman who has a child. We got our package back and didn't want to complicate things for him."

Londoners have been known in the past to confront porch pirates but police say that is not a good idea. Instead, they recommend getting a good description and calling 911.

"You can always talk to them but we don't suggest any confrontations. You don't know what that individual has on them and every situation is different," Bough said.