Despite the continued increase in online shopping, stores will be filled with folks seeking stocking stuffers and those must-haves for under the Christmas tree. In the hurried and harried pace, however, shoppers need to keep wise not only to their spending but also to their surroundings.
Chatham County Police Capt. Nicholas Ojanovac suggests these safety tips:
- Park as close to the store as possible.
- Double check that you’ve locked your vehicle.
- Don’t leave packages in plain view.
- Carry your purse close to your body.
- Don’t leave your purse in the shopping cart.
“There’s instances of people walking up while you’re bent over into your trunk, distracting them by removing your purse from the cart without you even knowing,” said Ojanovac.
Over the past three years during the holiday shopping season from Nov. 1 through Jan. 1, CCPD respondents to 111 shoplifting cases — 29 of them from this year, thus far.
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Savannah Police, meanwhile, has responded to several shoplifting cases during this holiday season than in the past. Since Nov. 1, 2022, the SPD has responded to 69 cases, a much slower pace than in 2021, when the SPD responded to 638 reports, and in 2020, with 629 cases.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].