Incidents of thefts of Amazon and other courier packages are a growing cause of concern for the authorities in the US. While the parcels keep on disappearing from the entrance of people who order them online, a disturbing trend of them being stolen on the way is giving added trouble to authorities.?
As the menace is growing, CBS photographer John Schreiber visited the Lincoln Heights Area in Los Angeles after hearing about the theft from trains cargo containers rising continuously.?
?Lincoln heights- a densely populated area in central LA - train tracks converge on a Union Pacific (UP) terminal as well as a United States services (UPS) customer centre, where trains unload their cargo.
In a series of videos that he posted on Twitter which has been viewed by over 2 Million times so far, Schreiber explained that one in five of the containers he saw on the tracks had been targeted, with doors open and locks cut.
"There's looted packages as far as the eye can see," he wrote. He reported having found packages from many major US courier companies such as Amazon, Target, UPS and FedEx.
It¡¯s here that thieves wait until the long freight trains are slowed down and then climb onto the freight containers, whose locks they easily break with the help of bolt cutters.
As they forage the boogies, they take away the valuable items which were destined to reach various parts of the country leaving what they consider non-essential items or are difficult to re-sell, or are too cheap like medical kits and toiletries.??
As a rule, it is the responsibility of the UP agents to police the track and inform the LA police of any theft before which it could not take any action. But police say UP hasn¡¯t alerted them of any theft yet.?
Such incidents have led people to raise questions of how Amazon and other mail services will ensure the safe delivery of packages ordered through various portals considering the theft has been going on for a while now.?
In response to it, Union Pacific says it has strengthened surveillance measures -- including drones and other detection systems -- and recruited more security staff for its tracks and convoys.
LA Police and security agents have also upped the restriction and have arrested more than 100 people in the last three months of 2021 for "trespassing and vandalizing" Union Pacific trains.
?"While criminals are being caught and arrested, charges are reduced to a misdemeanour or petty offence, and the person is back on the streets in less than 24 hours after paying a nominal fine," said a spokesman for the rail operator, reported AFP.
For more Trending stories, click here.