Unattended postbags stolen from postmen

daymobrew

Last week I got a printed postcard at home (unstamped and undated) stating that the local postperson's mail bag had been stolen the previous day and that Gardai have been informed.

I rang An Post to try to determine whether their procedures might need tweaking to minimise the opportunities.
The guy who answered said that it happens a few times a week (presumably nationwide) and seems to be deliberate, not people just messing. He said that An Post informs banks and Social Welfare so that they can presumably resend possibly stolen items.

I recently walked by a postperson's bicycle with the open mail bag just sitting there. I could clearly see a few Amazon items. I didn't see the postperson. I felt that the bike could have been parked much nearer to the postperson that it was. It would not have been hard to help myself to some Amazon goodies.

I asked if the bags could be worn by the postperson. He said they could weigh up to 3 stone (52 pounds). Bicycles are provided and anytime you see a car being used it is a private car and no petrol allowance is given.

Surely it is time to take preventitive action? Maybe provide small vans - maybe put 2 postpeople in each van. I bet they would get through an estate faster than one person and reduce or even eliminate the theft risk.

Chalk

at some point they started puttting up little green boxes around for postmen to stash there letters in , so they could carry a lighter load and return to the box to top up.

there was one put in around the corner from me but apparently it was taken back down as none of the posties bothered using it.
not usre how much truth there is to that reason but i cant see why else theyed take it back down after a few weeks.

Dave

Maybe it was stolen :eek:

steveland?

It is ridiculous alright. But the fact that there were a few amazon packages in the bag that time might be the reason he left the bag there. It might not be as common an occurence as you reckin. If there'd been no packages or anything the bag mighta still been with him.

FX Meister

An Post are doing pretty bad financially. I doubt they would increase staff just to stop a few thefts a week.

Caesar_Bojangle

I sent a letter through registered post over 5 months ago, and to this day An Post has still done nothing about locating it or compensating me. I've literally sent 25 emails complaining about it and 2 postal enquiry forms (via post) over 4 months ago and the response I keep getting is they’re busy. Pricks. I wouldn't mind but it was highly important and that’s why I sent it through registered, rather than normal mail.

When I trace it through www.sds.ie, the only information it has is the date and place it was despatched from.

monkeyfudge

They should have those little 3 wheeled trollies that you see postal workers using on US television.

With the increase in the usage of online retailing, the post bags must be getting very heavy these days. I'm still dreading the day when the postman has to deliver my Donkey Konga Bongos...

steveland?

Why can't they just keep moving their little yellow bikes up the street with them and just leave it outside the gate of the house they're delivering to? That way they can keep an eye on it while they leave in the letters.

That would make too much sense :rolleyes:

Hellrazer

This has happened to me in the past and my cars ownership papers were in the bag at the time.Turns out that the "thief" tried to change the ownership of the car into a false name and only I have a few garda friends plus the HP documents for the car I was fecked.
Took nearly 3 weeks to sort out.
Richie

nxbyveromdwjpg

**** probly rob them themselves

useless shower of bastards

Capt'n Midnight

daymobrew wrote:

Surely it is time to take preventitive action? Maybe provide small vans - maybe put 2 postpeople in each van. I bet they would get through an estate faster than one person and reduce or even eliminate the theft risk.

not going to happen as it would cost too much,
Look on the bright side we don't have those little US style mailboxes at the gate

uberwolf

I know every morning a bag is deposited into the hedge in my GFs front garden for collection by the postman doing the route. It used to be a huge hedge and it was well hidden, now they've trimmed it right back and the bag is visible. Sure might be tempted to take a peek some day myself

Guy:Incognito

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Look on the bright side we don't have those little US style mailboxes at the gate

They work over there tho, and in Germany aswell. probably cos they dont have nearly as many thieving scummers over there.

uberwolf

In Canada we had to collect our post from the post office, all our malboxes were in this room, like the stereotypical vault that a thief ransacks, wall to wall post boxes. As I recall. I was only small at the time.

K!LL!@N

I worked for An Post one Christmas.
They take on lots of extra part time staff for the 2 weeks up to christmas.
You have to agree to allow them do a security check on you, presumably just checking for criminal record with the guards.
Anyway, some of the stuff that i saw was pretty ridiculous.
I'd start off in the morning with a bag that might way up to 5 stone ( i actually weighed the bag one morning and it was 5 stone ).
I ended up using one of those granny trolley things and strapped the bag onto it after the first day or so, as i wasn't given a bike.
The bike would have been next to useless for the routes i was doing anyway.
Some of the others laughed when they saw the trolley thing, but they weren't laughing after a couple of days.

Anyway, i digresse.
So i'd start with the first bag at the sorting office.
Then i'd have to pick up 3 more bags of post along the way.
I was told on the first day where these bags would be left.
Two of the bags were left in peoples gardens, just behind a gate in one case and underneath a tree in another garden.
The third bag was left at the side of a shop, or sometimes inside the shop.
I'm presuming that this was common practice for these two postmen and not just for my benefit.
Both of them had their own cars, but they must always do the same thing as they both used to park their cars in different spots far away from where they'd leave the bags.

Now i know where these bags were kept, and i could have gone back and taken stuff from them if i'd wanted.
Presuming they didn't change the place after i'd finished.
But anyone could have seen the bags being dropped there.
And maybe not even steal the whole bag, just grab stuff that they knew would have value.


Killian