For the past month, senior Richmondite Anne Abrams has had to ride her bicycle down busy No. 3 Road to the Canada Post sorting facility on Cambie Road to collect her mail.
Abrams is one of a growing number of victims of mail theft, which has resulted in a long and steady lineup at Canada Post each day.
The resident of a General Currie Road condominium told the Richmond News she’s frustrated no one at Canada Post can seem to fix the situation; her strata has been waiting for a new Canada Post mailbox lock for weeks, she said.
“It’s the accountability. Who do you speak to if you have a complaint?” she asked.
The News spoke to several other Richmondites lined up to collect their mail and the problem appears to be widespread throughout the city, affecting mostly indoor condominium and outdoor community mailboxes.
“Every time I come here, there are people with the same problem,” said Gustavo Varela, who also lives on General Currie.
As well, some theft victims said Canada Post’s pick-up hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) are inconvenient.
Richmond RCMP confirmed the detachment has seen a spike in mail thefts.
"The increase in statistics is partly due to increased criminal activity but also in the reporting of mail theft. What may have not been reported to police before or reported only to Canada Post as damage to a superbox for example, is now being tracked by police as it's own crime type. Mail theft as a phenomenon is occurring in many municipalities throughout BC. "” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dennis Hwang.
“There are several ongoing investigations for mail theft. The RCMP is trying to collaborate with a number of police forces across the province to see if there are any connections,” added Hwang.
Richmond police only created a separate statistic for mail thefts in January. Since then, there have been 66 incidents. One incident may involve several thefts from one community mailbox, noted Hwang, who advises that if you are a victim of mail theft you should call Richmond RCMP immediately.
Hwang added that thieves are primarily looking for economic opportunities via identity theft.
“They’re looking for credit cards, cheques and any sort of item that can be used to obtain identity,” he said.
No one at the Canada Post sorting facility was allowed to speak to the News about the nature of the problem. The News sent emails to Canada Post’s media relations department but did not receive a response.
Mail theft prevention tips:
* Report small break-ins
* Do not allow any unknown person into your lobby
* Wait for your garage gate to close
* Use online mail when possible
