No more dumping of mail bags in gardens thanks to the News

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 01 Dec 2007, 13:54

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/display. ... e_news.php

AN emergency meeting was called of all Worcester's postmen and women after your Worcester News revealed that bags of mail were being left unattended.

Our story on Tuesday revealed Royal Mail was allowing the bags to be left in front gardens, unlocked hallways and even sheds.

The bags were not secure and anyone could have walked away with the contents - including bank statements, cash and personal information.

After our revelations, we understand Royal Mail immediately ended the practice and called an emergency meeting to brief staff. One postman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "They told us what had happened and said someone had gone to the Worcester News. We have been told we are to write on our bags when we want them to be delivered and they will be brought out to us.

"They knew what was going on but did not want to do anything about it."

Customers were being paid Â£30 a year to store bags of mail because postal workers couldn't carry it all in one go.

But the post worker said he believed Royal Mail would be installing secure pouch boxes to store the bags within the next three to four weeks.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said they had immediately reviewed all drop points across the city and withdrawn any which did not meet their safety criteria - defined as stored behind a locked door or in an area inaccessible to the public.

Ian Jones, area general manager for Royal Mail in Birmingham, Hereford and Worcester, said: "I would like to apologise for the concern these reports may have caused and also reassure our customers that Royal Mail takes the security of mail very seriously and that the use of unsecured drop points in the area has ceased."

Your Worcester News was handed a list of drop-off points, but chose not to reveal the exact locations.

gazzer · Post by **gazzer** » 01 Dec 2007, 17:02

Interesting comment that secure drop boxes will be supplied in 3 to 4 weeks,I've been waiting on a secure box for 3 years 8 months

murray · Post by **murray** » 01 Dec 2007, 20:03

Five years and more at our office!

Post by **dvbuk55** » 01 Dec 2007, 20:12

There's always some bullshit excuse, no planning permission, no money, no pouch boxes - we have had the 1/2 dozen stands and pouch boxes at our DO just taking up space for years. They rely on cars, good will and good luck - one pouch drop was done three times before they learned the lesson - RM has never put in the investment since the early 90s and never will.

UNION JACK · Post by **UNION JACK** » 02 Dec 2007, 12:27

Most bag drops are accessible to the general public,bin sheds ,locked boxes etc,all these could be broken into within less than 30 seconds.In this day and age with identity theft protection and all that Royal Mail are heading for a big fall its only a matter of time before they get done .The only safe place is for drivers to drop your bags to you personally.If alot of these practices were publicised more im sure alot of people would not use Royal Mail for the posting of confidential material.

Wild Cat · Post by **Wild Cat** » 02 Dec 2007, 13:40

I get my bags dropped off to a customers rear garden shed which is accessible to the public,however it is out of sight and highly unlikely that the bags will be stolen.

I think RM know the risks involved and if an incident occurs they will pay out compensation to shut the victim up.

If RM were to invest in proper security the costs of the extra boxes and time involved would surely outweigh any petty compensation costs they would have to fork out.

This is not right but RM have probably looked into this and weighed up the costs and chosen to do it on the cheap and so far it has paid off for them.

dongash · Post by **dongash** » 02 Dec 2007, 15:25

no proper pouch boxes at our d.o....... bags still left under hedges, in gardens, in fact anywhere!!! oh and in the cars of the cheats who to this day still take all their pouches out with them!!! p.s thanks for the yes vote you spineless bastards!!!!

superman · Post by **superman** » 02 Dec 2007, 15:33

Wild Cat wrote:I get my bags dropped off to a customers rear garden shed which is accessible to the public,however it is out of sight and highly unlikely that the bags will be stolen.

I think RM know the risks involved and if an incident occurs they will pay out compensation to shut the victim up.

If RM were to invest in proper security the costs of the extra boxes and time involved would surely outweigh any petty compensation costs they would have to fork out.

This is not right but RM have probably looked into this and weighed up the costs and chosen to do it on the cheap and so far it has paid off for them.

Yes but what they say is if they see a van turn up EVERY day to drop off a bag people get wise to this and will wait one day to take it

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 02 Dec 2007, 16:23

Having done nearly every delivery at our office, my question has to be, what's a pouch box look like ?

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 02 Dec 2007, 18:06

Without the yellow tye wrap modification hopefully.

Single stand alone type: http://www.pcassociatesltd.co.uk/html/p ... oxes07.htm Specs here

Stand Alone double type. http://www.pcassociatesltd.co.uk/html/p ... oxes08.htm Specs Here

UNION JACK · Post by **UNION JACK** » 02 Dec 2007, 18:17

Surely there is a law on data protection, would it be against the law to leave peoples confidential information in unsafe bag drops?

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 02 Dec 2007, 18:34

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:

Without the yellow tye wrap modification hopefully.

Single stand alone type: http://www.pcassociatesltd.co.uk/html/p ... oxes07.htm Specs here

Stand Alone double type. http://www.pcassociatesltd.co.uk/html/p ... oxes08.htm Specs Here

Cheers TBT. I can honestly say, you'd be very hard pressed to find anything resembling a pouch box on any walk I've ever done.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 02 Dec 2007, 18:48

I'll take some of those, they're brilliant

dongash · Post by **dongash** » 02 Dec 2007, 19:37

we were told at macclesfield that we would not be getting any of the stand alone pouch boxes as the local council said r.m had to get planning permission for every box!!! i kid you not!!!

saru · Post by **saru** » 02 Dec 2007, 19:46

dongash wrote:we were told at macclesfield that we would not be getting any of the stand alone pouch boxes as the local council said r.m had to get planning permission for every box!!! i kid you not!!!

Yeah, we've been told that.
There is a manager going around the SE at the moment assessing bag drops. I took him out to show him a few dodgy ones a few weeks ago. The ones he was told by our dom & phg were only a few of them, we thought of a few more. He spoke to one houseowner & negotiated putting a padlock on a shed with both them & the postie having the code.
The stupid thing is he had the name of a pub in one village & the bag is left round the back of the pub. There is a pouch box over the road which is now unused ! Don't ask me why.

ROYALMAILCHAT

No more dumping of mail bags in gardens thanks to the News

No more dumping of mail bags in gardens thanks to the News

BAG DROPS

DATA PROTECTION