Warning as thieves target mail piled in letterboxes

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Warning as thieves target Rollason Way mail piled in letterboxes
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THIEVES are targeting post delivered to communal letterboxes in Brentwood, and detectives have warned residents to remain vigilant.

Letterboxes in the Rollason Way area, close to Railway Square, have been the prime target.

Some homeowners say they are contemplating using a parcel collection service at the main sorting office in Brentwood since their mail started to vanish.

Paul Downie, 47, who lives in the street, said: "I know there have been a number of thefts with closed boxes that are external to the building.

"I'm concerned my parcels will go missing. I try to be a bit more vigilant than otherwise I would be, and if there was a post box in my door I would be a lot happier.

"There has been talk about putting in CCTV – in my last block of flats we had the same problem."

Mr Downie says he is now considering going to the sorting office in St Thomas Road to see how much the call and collect service will cost.

"For me, it's something I would like to use to make sure my parcels are safe," he said.

"Any letters or parcels I get, I can pick up and I know they are not going to get dipped from my post box."

Brentwood police officers are now telling residents that, despite the number of thefts being reported dropping, they should remain vigilant.

Giving tips on how to make sure homeowners can avoid becoming victims of crime, Sergeant Scott Kingsnorth, based at Brentwood police station, said: "What they tend to do is stuff a load of junk mail in and then the post is high up in the box.

"The thing would be to clear out junk mail when you can, empty your post box every single day and if you receive anything that you are not expecting from a company, check."

He continued: "The general MO is someone will take a bit of post with your personal information – the classic identity theft – and they will use your details to apply for credit cards or store cards and they will time when the postman is delivering.

"Before you realise what's happening and receive the bank statements, they have spent the credit card limit. They are not going to break into your house for an item of post. It's a bit of a design flaw in post boxes, as you should not be able to put your hand in or take stuff out of it.

"If you can change it, change it to an anti-theft one – you can get them from B&Q.

"If your post box is vulnerable we would recommend a camera, if you're in a block of flats, speak to the owner."

If you see any suspicious activity, call 999 or, in a non-emergency, Brentwood police on 101.