D’iberville Police give tips for staying safe while Christmas shopping

Theft-related crimes tend to increase during the holiday season. A national crime victimization survey found that robbery and larceny increase by nearly 20% in December.

We spoke with the D’iberville police department about what you can do to stay safe as you head out to do any last-minute shopping.

The Diberville police department says the most common theft they see is not aggressive – it’s just sneaky.

For example, stealing out of someone’s purse while they’re not watching the cart.

Chief Shannon Nobles says shoppers are often too worried about shopping and forget about situational awareness, making them the easiest targets.

The department is aware that the hustle and bustle c

an make people less self-aware, so they’ve added more officer presence outside of the promenade

“The first step in preventing crime is, I believe, officer presence. And the second part of that is collaboration,” said Chief Nobles. “You know, I hate to say it, but some people are up to no good, and they’re going to take advantage of you not paying attention to your shopping bag or your purse that you left in the car, or that you left your car door unlocked… packages visible and things like that.”

Chief Nobles tells us that the most common calls they get during the holidays are car accidents in parking lots. So, another reason to slow down and be aware of your surroundings when shopping.