Holiday safety tips

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - With it being the holiday season, people should be cautious of their surroundings.

Hattiesburg Police Officer, Lt. Jon Traxler said, "This time of the year is going to increase a lot of different things. And it may only increase it by one. And to us, that's one more than we want. We want to have a decrease. So, that's what we're out here combating against."

While people are out shopping, they should not make themselves an easy target.

"Whenever you go in a store, have money set aside in different places in your pockets and your purses that way when you get up to the register, you got just about enough of what you would need to be able to pay for it. And you don't have to pull out your whole wallet with everything in it for somebody to see exactly how much you're carrying," said Traxler.

There have been recent reports of armed robberies at residences and businesses in the area.

If you are a victim or a witness to an armed robbery, police would rather you not be a hero.

"If they decided to do that, we can't stop them of course. We'd just tell them to be extremely cautious, give us as much information as you can," said Traxler.