We’re always told by law enforcement to be cautious when holiday shopping, as crime tends to rise during the Christmas season.

The Broussard Police Department, however, is taking an extra step to ensure people’s safety.

Police Chief Brannon Decou has placed extra patrol enforcement in and around shopping centers and banks in the city to ensure additional safety for holiday shoppers throughout the Christmas season.

“We haven’t had any rashes of burglaries or robberies out into those parking lots but we don’t want those to appear,” says Decou.

He adds, “We want to make this more than an awareness campaign and we want to take this proactive approach to making it a better, safer environment for the people that are shopping, visiting, and our citizens as well.”

Decou says that holiday patrol does not only benefit shoppers but business owners as well, as it deters shoplifting.