NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The New Smyrna Beach Police Department is launching a new program meant to help cut down on gifts being stolen over the holiday season.
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Instead of having online Christmas packages delivered to your home, they can be sent to the Police Department.
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As more and more people order things online, police hope the new program will help keep scrooges at bay.
“What we’d like to do is thwart that...a little proactive police work here,” Chief Mike Coffin said.
According to the police department, burglaries in New Smyrna Beach increased by 27-percent between October and December in 2019 compared to those committed between July and September of that year. In 2020, it was a 21-percent increase over the same time frame.
LET US BE YOUR FRONT PORCH! The Holiday season brings gifts. With gifts come the possibility of package theft. Ensure...
Posted by New Smyrna Beach Police Department on Wednesday, November 10, 2021
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That’s why, with the holidays approaching, Chief Coffin says they’re launching Operation “No Scrooge Behavior,” or NSB.
The program allows people to ship their holiday packages to the police department between now and December 17, where they’ll hold it until the rightful recipient can pick it up, as long as they have a receipt and identification.
“This really came from our staff here,” Chief Coffin said. “They brought it to me and said, ‘hey, this is something we would like to try and make the place a better community and serve the public better.’”
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Coffin says no packages have been shipped to the department yet, but the response from the public has been positive. He says they’re already considering ways to expand the program in the future.
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