Among the holiday shoppers this time of year are some people who
are
“shopping” for an opportunity to cash in on your carelessness,
Morgan Hill Police officials caution.
Among the holiday shoppers this time of year are some people who are “shopping” for an opportunity to cash in on your carelessness, Morgan Hill Police officials caution.
Common sense precautions can prevent these “shoppers” from ruining your holiday spirit, MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said.
“The bad guys are starting to do their shopping, too,” he said. “We’re already starting to see incidents of petty theft, auto burglary, auto theft, those kinds of crimes.”
Sampson said criminals are looking for easy opportunities, such as vehicles left unlocked in parking lots, purses or packages left unattended in shopping carts or in a busy store or restaurant.
Much of the crime that increases during the holidays – auto and home burglaries, drunk driving and petty theft – can actually be linked to holiday stress.
“People are busy, they are thinking about what they have to do and not thinking about whether it is wise or not to leave presents in the car, not thinking about locking doors, things like that,” said Morgan Hill Police Lt. Joe Sampson.
These types of crimes can be avoided in many cases by making things difficult for the potential criminal.
“We advise the community to harden the target,” Sampson said. “These are crimes of opportunity. They occur when people are busy and not taking their normal precautions. It is easy for a thief to take advantage.”
