RT Article
T1 Porch pirates: examining unattended package theft through crime script analysis
JF Criminal justice studies
VO 33
IS 2
SP 79
OP 95
A1 Stickle, Benjamin F.
A1 Hicks, Melody
A1 Hutchinson, Zachary
A1 Stickle, Amy
A2 Hicks, Melody
A2 Hutchinson, Zachary
A2 Stickle, Amy
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1776351363
AB Package theft is an emerging crime type due to the tremendous growth in online shopping and the delivery of goods directly to a home. Unattended delivery creates an opportunity for thieves to steal packages after delivery and before the resident collects them. It is believed that these types of incidents are increasing dramatically, and media attention has amplified awareness and concern of ‘porch pirates.’ Currently, little is known about unattended package theft and the present study represents the first known scholarly examination of this crime. Using Video Data Analysis to examine 67 YouTube videos of porch pirates engaged in criminal activity, the authors develop a Crime Script Analysis and identify Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) practices that can interrupt porch piracy. Findings indicate porch piracy occurs during daylight hours, at homes closer to a roadway, and most often with packages that can be easily seen from the roadway which are of medium size and usually have brand names on the box. Further, traditional SCP techniques such as fences, cameras, and guardians appear to have little impact on the thieves. Prevention techniques are discussed with the most promising including: increasing the risks, concealing packages, and removing packages. Additional findings, prevention techniques, and limitations are discussed.
K1 Package theft
K1 Crime script
K1 Delivery theft
K1 Last-mile delivery
K1 Porch pirate
K1 Unattended home delivery
K1 Video data analysis
DO 10.1080/1478601X.2019.1709780