Editor:
Re: Community boxes not to be feared, residents say, Dec. 17
The reporter quotes a handful of Ladner residents that get their mail delivered to community mailboxes that have had no problems with theft over the years.
I am very happy that none of these people have had their mail stolen because that can be very traumatizing. Ladner does not have a large number of community mailboxes at this time, which may be one of the reasons that the thefts from these boxes have been minimal.
Just imagine how that might change if another 4,900 homes start to get their mail delivered to community mailboxes. Will that attract the criminal element?
You do not have to travel very far from Ladner to find stories about theft from community mailboxes; in fact, the theft from these boxes has been rampant for the past year in Surrey and Langley.
On the day Canada Post announced Ladner would be losing home delivery, two entire community mailbox units were stolen in South Surrey.
The residents in this very nice neighbourhood had had their community mailboxes broken into on four different occasions prior to the Dec. 4 theft.
I have searched high and low and I have not found any information about the theft of mail from a mailbox at someone's residence. The concept of having anywhere from 10 to 100 or more mailboxes centralized in one location is an open invitation to the criminal element. Home delivery is secure.
Theft is only one of the many concerns about community mailbox delivery and some of those other concerns, such as access for seniors or persons with disabilities and litter, were briefly mentioned in your article. Some other concerns are pollution from cars idling and the overall security and safety of neighbourhoods.
Currently the majority of residents in Ladner receive home delivery and one of the forgotten advantages of such delivery is that every day there is a letter carrier in your neighbourhood. They notice if something isn't right or if there are suspicious people in the area. This won't happen with community mailbox delivery.
Stephen Gale
