Police warn community to be wary of porch pirates before Christmas

Imagine spending hours to make the perfect Christmas gift only to have it stolen from your front porch.

Matt Wolsfeld is irked to say the least after this happened to him.

The Saskatoon man does custom crochet work and one of his recent jobs was snatched right from his front step.

“(The dolls) were waiting on the front porch and they were taken before the delivery driver could come,” he said. “(It’s) something that I have been kicking myself for now. I naively thought that I could trust in the good nature of people and I had that thrown back at me.”

What is even more frustrating, Matt says is the dolls would be of no sentimental or monetary value to the thieves.

“Chances are when they open it up and find (the dolls), they won’t find any use to them and they could easily end up in a dumpster blocks away from here.”

It takes Matt about 20-hours to make each doll so he is up against the clock to remake them for his customer in time for Christmas.

“That’ll be a good chunk of time out of my days,” Wolsfeld said.

He reported the theft to Saskatoon police which encourages other people to do the same thing.

To help prevent thefts from greedy grinches, the RCMP recommends keeping your porch or deck well-lit and installing a visible security camera.

Other holiday tips:

– Don’t leave presents in plain view in your vehicle, or near windows or doors at your house.

– Thieves are on social media too. Refrain from posting pictures of your Christmas tree with gifts beneath it to your social media accounts.

– If you’ll be away for the holidays, don’t announce it on social media. Ensure your home is locked and secure while you are away.

– Break down and discretely recycle electronic boxes – don’t advertise you have new, expensive items inside of your home.

Thefts under $5,000 can be reported 24/7 at http://report.rcmp.ca.