A resident in Country Club West found their mailbox like this earlier this week (Photo: Facebook / Tracelle Hinze)

By Shaun Penner

Mail Theft

Mail theft once again an issue this holiday season

Dec 19, 2019 | 2:06 PM

RCMP in Grande Prairie and across Alberta are once again responding to a rash of mail thefts this holiday season.

Social media pages in Grande Prairie and area have recently been flooded with images of Canada Post mailboxes, that seem to have been broken into, with many reporting their mail had been taken from their boxes.

With gifts and holiday packages bringing an increase to the volume of goods sitting in post offices and mailboxes, this time of year becomes a peak season for thieves to prey on unattended mail and packages.

Corporal Deanna Fontaine with the Alberta RCMP notes that rates for this time of year are on par with last year.

“We did see that in 2018, where out of 984 mail thefts (province-wide), we had 130 in December and about 120 in January. Those were the two highest months for mail thefts in the entire year, in RCMP jurisdictions.”

In an emailed statement to Everything GP, Canada Post says they are aware of the recent break-ins in Grande Prairie and are looking into them.

“We can confirm that incidents of vandalism occurred recently at some community mailbox sites in the City of Grande Prairie. Our customers are being notified of the incidents.”

“We take the security of the mail very seriously and we work closely with the police on such cases,” it continues “Our efforts are led by our dedicated and highly trained team of Postal Inspectors who work regularly with local police on a variety of matters.”

As the RCMP and Postal Inspectors continue to investigate these claims, they note that prevention is the best way to protect your mail from being stolen and remove the opportunity for thieves to commit their crime. Some tips provided by Canada Post include:

• Collecting your mail daily
• If you plan to be away, use Canada Post’s Hold Mail Service to suspend delivery until you return.
• When you move, file a change of address request with Canada Post and inform your bank and other institutions.
• Use the post office box service if you wish to receive all of your mail at an address other than your designated mode of delivery.
• Use FlexDelivery to select the post office you would like to have your mail sent to.

If you are a victim of, or a witness to, a mail related theft, Cpl. Fontaine says it is always best to report the incident to both the police and Canada Post.

“I know that the police will notify Canada Post if one of their Superboxes is insecure and there has been an event,” said Fontaine. “But, in terms of tracking your mail, Canada Post is able to assist their customers. Whereas the police will focus on our investigation, in trying to identify whoever is responsible for the thefts.”

To report any incidents to Canada Post, you can call their Customer Service division at 1-800-267-1177.

Police ask that you contact your local detachment, 911, or report to Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).