Abbotsford has seen nearly two dozen reported instances of mail box vandalism or theft since the start of the year, a trend that has police warning residents to be vigilant and collect their mail regularly.
The majority of the incidents have occurred in rural areas, with community mailboxes being the chief target, according to Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald. RCMP in Chilliwack also reported this week that three boxes in the outlying community of Yarrow, which borders Abbotsford, were broken into last Friday.
Individual boxes and those in the city core have also been targeted, but the common factor is the motive.
“The target without doubt is the mail inside,” MacDonald said.
In the past, a wide range of offenders have been found with stolen mail, from street-level petty criminals to more sophisticated operators.
The mail is valuable for the personal information it frequently contains.
“They’re looking for key documents that will allow people to steal identities,” MacDonald said.
Police are encouraging the public to report any damage to mailboxes. The signs are usually obvious, with pry bars a favoured tool.
“There’s no subtlety that’s in these break-ins.”
Residents are also encouraged to pick up their mail regularly, and if they don’t receive a piece of mail that is expected, to follow up with the sender.
Because police only started separating mail-related theft numbers this year, MacDonald could only say that the 23 reports of thefts or mischief seem elevated from the normal rate of mail incidents. But the Lower Mainland is no stranger to such crimes. Last year, Canada Post reported that this region is home to half of all mail-related vandalism incidents in the country.
Kerisma Vere, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Royal City, which represents employees in Abbotsford and Mission, said workers have seen community mailboxes increasingly become a target over the past year.
“In every depot that I walk into, there are buckets and buckets of undelivered mail,” she said. With Canada Post moving all residential delivery to community boxes, Vere said the shift is putting more mail at risk.
Canada Post spokesperson Anick Losier said the agency is in a constant battle to improve box security, but the thieves prove to be difficult adversaries.
“Whatever reinforcements we can put [in place], they are determined,” Losier said. “When it comes to these types of crime, they are determined to get in, regardless of the target. We are going to put in an equal amount of determination to stop them.”
Meanwhile, residents whose mailboxes have been damaged no longer have their mail within walking distance.
Mail for damaged boxes can be accessed at Canada Post’s Marshall Road depot, but that location is only open between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Once a week, the mail is being bundled and sent to local post offices, where it can be retrieved.
“We know that our customers are inconvenienced and we understand their frustrations,” Losier said. “The best thing they can do is pick up their mail and not leave it overnight.”
“We’re repairing (the boxes) as quickly as possible.”