By supportberkshire.uk 
Porch Pirates: A Growing Concern on Caversham Road
Today, I had an unfortunate experience that highlights an increasing issue in our community: porch piracy. While running errands at Sainsbury’s, I received a notification from Amazon regarding the delivery of a parcel. Unfortunately, the delivery driver simply dropped the package on my doorstep and immediately rang the doorbell before quickly walking away. The footage captured on the app was so blurry that it was hardly recognizable.
This incident isn’t isolated; our household has faced similar issues with Amazon in the past. Interestingly, our delivery instructions explicitly request that if no one is available to answer the door, the parcel should be left with a designated neighbor or tucked away behind our bins for security. Clearly, these instructions were overlooked.
About an hour later, I received a motion detection alert from my Ring doorbell. The captured video revealed a suspicious individual who attempted to obscure her identity but didn’t succeed. If anyone in the community recognizes this person, I would appreciate your assistance. While I understand that Thames Valley Police may not take action on petty theft, I am determined to raise awareness and discourage such behavior by sharing this information.
Let’s work together to keep our neighborhood safe and vigilant against these porch pirates. Thank you for your support!
Thank you for bringing attention to this important issue. Porch piracy has indeed become a growing concern, especially with the rise of online shopping. One effective way to mitigate such incidents is to encourage neighbors to establish a “community watch” — sharing information about suspicious activity and looking out for one another. Additionally, exploring alternative delivery options such as secure parcel lockers, delivery to local pickup points, or scheduling deliveries during times when someone is home can significantly reduce risks. It’s also worth considering the installation of additional security measures like camera doorbells or creating designated safe spots for delivery. Together, community awareness and practical security steps can make our neighborhoods more resilient to parcel thefts.