Canterbury police are reminding people to keep an eye out for courier deliveries to stop goods from going missing by opportunist thieves.
The warning comes after a Christchurch resident caught someone on camera stealing her Hello Fresh box within minutes of it being delivered.
The Addington woman posted security camera footage of the incident to social media in a bid to identify the thief and warn other customers.
The Harman Rd resident said she was home at the time her Hello Fresh delivery was stolen from her doorstep - about one and half minutes after it was delivered to her doorstep.
She thought the thief may have been following the delivery vehicle.
She reported the incident to the police and contacted Hello Fresh which gave her a full refund.
Police said "thieves will take any opportunity to steal, and parcels left on front door steps or in apartment building common areas are an easy target."
Other items left out for pick-up, such as dry cleaning, food and gifts could also be targeted.
"Another issue is opportunistic thieves following courier drivers and keeping an eye on deliveries left on doorsteps," said a police spokesperson.
"We would like to remind couriers to secure deliveries if possible."
Police suggest couriers arrange with the household that items be hidden from view.
The woman at the centre of the brazen theft said she has had a lot of support following her Facebook post, with people even offering her food which she declined.
Her favourite comment was from someone who jokingly labelled the Hello Fresh theft 'Goodbye Fresh'.
Police advice
• Get packages delivered to a place where someone will be home to receive them, or to a work address if you are an essential worker.
• If you do have deliveries made to your home, make sure you're going to be home to sign for them or have a secure location where they can be left.
• Make sure your delivery instructions are clear and ask for packages not to be placed at your front door, or on top of an apartment building post box.
• If you're not going to be home when the parcel is delivered, arrange to collect your parcel from the depot, or have the parcel redirected to the address of someone you trust.
• Be smart when disposing of packaging, so passers-by can't see if you've been buying expensive items.
• Report any suspicious behaviour to Police - e.g. if you see a car following a courier van, or an unexpected visitor knocks on your door asking for someone you don't know.
• If you see any suspicious activity, such as people loitering around vehicles or looking into car windows, please contact Police immediately by phoning 111.
- starnews.co.nz
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