BANGOR, Maine (WGAN) The Bangor Police Department is offering tips to residents to prevent porch pirates from making off with packages this holiday season.

Police say it’s best to have packages held for pick-up instead of having them delivered. They say any deliveries should be scheduled when someone is available to accept them if possible.

They also say installing a secured lock-box can be helpful, and that having packages dropped off at the back door or at the side of your home can make them less visible to thieves.

They suggest not leaving packages outside overnight, and developing relationships with neighbors to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

A report shows Maine ranks near the bottom of the list of states when it comes to larceny-theft, which package theft falls under. According to statistics from the FBI, the rate of larceny-theft in Maine was 1,017 per 100,000 people in 2019.

Experts says that with the rise of online shopping during the pandemic, that’s likely to drive the rate of package thefts up higher.