Protecting Your Gifts While on a Holiday-Shopping Trip

You get up at 4 a.m. on Friday morning so you can be the first in line to get that new video game system your kids just have to have. It's that time of year again. Millions of people will be out shopping themselves to death to get that all important gift. While you are trying so hard to get that gift, what are you doing to protect it. Every year property crime rises at this time of year. People go out shopping and so do the criminals. The difference is that you worked hard to make the money you spend on your gifts while they are just getting into your car and taking it away from you. If you follow some simple steps, you can greatly reduce the chances that a criminal will get their greedy hands on your stuff.

Prior to leaving

When you leave to go shopping be prepared. First thing is to have a spare car key on your person. You can hide it anywhere. Women, you use your bra to put spare cash in, place the key in there. A shoe is also a good hiding place. This will not prevent a thief from stealing, but it will help you if you lock your keys in your car. As a police officer, I am constantly called to a shopping center because someone locked their keys in their car. This will also serve another purpose which I will explain in a moment. Go with a shopping partner. There is safety in numbers and if you forget one of these safety tips your partner can remind you.

Arrival

Once you get to your destination there are some simple things that you can do to protect yourself. If it is night time, park in a well lighted area. This protects you, your car and your gifts. Roll the windows up. Even if it is 100 degrees outside, the slightest crack in a window is an easy opportunity for a thief to break into your car. If you do not want to carry that big purse, bag or backpack around, lock it up in your trunk. Don't leave valuable items out in plain view. Purses, bags, backpacks, gifts, phones, radar detectors, stereos or anything of value should not be visible when you walk away from your car. Now the most important thing, lock your car doors. By leaving your car doors unlocked you are just inviting someone to come and steal your presents. As you get ready to walk to the store, make sure you have your keys with you and double check that you locked your car doors. If you can't find your keys then they are probably in the ignition or in the trunk. This is where that spare key comes in handy. Use it now and get your keys. If you leave those keys in the car, you may not have a car to come back to.

Departure

Always be aware of your surroundings. Use your eyes and scan the parking lot. If you see someone just standing around, be cautious. If you feel uncomfortable, go back in the store and ask an employee to escort you out. When you are done shopping do not toss those gifts in the back seat. Make a point to put them in the trunk. Better to do it now than to try and remember to do it later when you are at another shopping center and your mind is distracted because you can't get that parking space you wanted. If you have purchased something that can go bad, such as a food basket, go ahead and take it home. A thief is not picky about what they take. The day after Thanksgiving is usually chilly in my city and people will leave food baskets in cars because they don't spoil. Your normal thief will take whatever they can get their hands on. It is also not a bad idea to go home and drop off your purchases after each shopping center you go to. It may be inconvenient, but they will be safe at home.

Stats

In the City of North Little Rock the primary shopping centers are located in a specific geographic area. In this area of town the property crimes, this includes theft from a car, have gone up 5% from January to September of 2007. This still leaves us with the busiest shopping time of the year to go. Many of these are because people left their cars unlocked or their valuables out and visible. This is not some drastic increase in crime, we are the primary shopping hub for the central Arkansas area and during the holiday season we serve approximately half a million people. As with any police department there are only so many officers to patrol and as much as we would like to we cannot be every where at once.
Help me and my fellow officers protect your property by following these simple steps and have a Happy Holidays.