The Christmas season is in full swing, and area police expect property crime to increase.
“Crime goes up as a result of human nature,” Interim Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen said.
Downtown store owners also recognize the possibility of shoplifting to spike during the Christmas shopping season.
“I’ve been here 37 years and it always happens,” said Ivie Knight, owner of Ivie’s Outlet on Fifth Street South in downtown Columbus.
Knight said when his store was in a building near the corner of Fifth Street South and College Street, he often found ladies’ shoes missing. “But even since I moved here, we’ve had a few. I’ve caught a few people, too.”
McQueen’s explanation for people stealing more during the holidays is that there are some people “that just don’t want to do what’s right.”
But Knight attributes some of it to large crowds and not enough eyes to watch every customer.
“I guess one reason things may be harder around Christmas time is you get large crowds and if you only have two or three people working, it’s harder to watch them,” he said. “When we only sold shoes, we had so many people trying on shoes that they would wait for us to not be looking and have the shoes on their feet and just walk out.”
Japel Benson of It’s Real Fashion on Alabama Street said he already fell victim to a shoplifter.
“I just opened, and someone stole something the other day. They stole cologne, and I hadn’t been open but for two weeks.”
Columbus is not alone in anticipation of a property crime spike during the holiday season. Starkville also has seen an increase in certain property crimes so far.
“We’ve seen a slight increase in shoplifting and a significant increase in automobile burglaries,” Starkville Police Chief David Lindley said, “but that is related to a seasonal problem that comes with the holidays.”
Lindley acknowledged a spike in apartment burglaries during the Thanksgiving holidays, but he called it “very predictable” despite efforts to combat the trend with increased patrol.
“We have so much rental property here it is almost impossible to cover it all,” he said.
Lindley expects the crime level to stay higher than usual during the Christmas season because “with more activity with the public, that results in more crime.”
“The opportunity is greater there with more people shopping and more people leaving packages in cars,” he said.
For local businesses, Lindley said it comes down to being “more observant.”
“This is the type of time of year when you have an increase in activity because some people can’t get things the traditional way so they resort to crime,” he said.
Customer caution
Business owners and workers are not the only ones who should take extra precautions during the holidays, police said. Customers also should be on their toes and aware of their surroundings, McQueen said.
“Look around when you step outside the building,” he said. “If you see a bunch of people in the parking lot with guns or knives, it might not be a good idea to leave then.”
He also suggests simple precautions such as keeping packages in a parked vehicle out of sight and holding onto a purse rather than leaving it unattended in a shopping cart.
“There are people driving around these parking lots and when they see you with packages and things in the vehicle, they will probably knock your windows out and get your packages before anyone realizes what happened,” McQueen warned.
Lindley gave similar tips to residents to prevent an automobile burglary “And people still leave their cars unlocked. We have a real problem with that here.”
Businesses on alert
“I’ve got cameras, I’ve got alarm systems and everything is already locked up,” said Pete Creekmore, owner of Rae’s Jewelry on Fifth Street South. “There’s some places that have problems with shoplifters, but usually if you have a problem, you will call Main Street and they will call the other stores.”
In September, Columbus police initiated the business alert system. Through the system, businesses network with each other, as well as the police, via email. Downtown businesses have the added advantage of being a part of the Main Street Columbus Inc. network.
So if one store owner sees something suspicious or falls prey to a shoplifter, the owner lets Main Street officials know, and they warn other business owners.
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