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With Christmas fast approaching, Cheshire Constabulary is preparing to launch its annual campaign aimed at supporting delivery drivers and couriers during the busiest period of the year.
Operation Delivering, which runs from 1 December to 31 December, will see officers deployed across the county to engage with drivers, provide reassurance and offer crime-prevention advice as online shopping peaks in the run-up to Christmas.
Detective Superintendent Clare Coleman, who leads the initiative, said the surge in festive deliveries inevitably puts more drivers on the roads — and increases opportunities for criminals. “While Santa will be busy on Christmas Eve making his own deliveries, many people give him a helping hand in the run-up to Christmas Day,” she noted, highlighting the heightened risk of theft faced by couriers during this period.
Under the month-long operation, officers will visit key locations across Cheshire to speak directly with drivers, while both marked and unmarked patrol vehicles will monitor routes near major distribution centres. The force is also urging couriers to take proactive steps to minimise their vulnerability.
Safety measures encouraged by police include:
- Keeping vehicles in good operating condition
- Avoiding engagement with suspicious vehicles and calling police if followed
- Agreeing a delivery plan with employers or family and checking in regularly
- Using varied routes where possible
- Ensuring mobile phones are fully charged
- Avoiding poorly lit areas and parking under streetlights
- Carrying a torch to illuminate dark areas
- Using vehicle panic alarms if threatened
- Locking vehicles at all times, even for brief stops
- Darkening rear windows to obscure valuable items
- Removing valuables from view and fully closing windows
- Using key-blocking pouches for keyless vans
- Installing trackers, stop locks or slam locks to deter thieves
- Remaining at the scene of any emergency only if safe to do so and calling 999
Coleman stressed that residents also have a role to play, urging the public to report suspicious behaviour and ensure someone is home to receive parcels whenever possible. By working together, she added, the community can help reduce thefts and keep festive deliveries on track.
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