Canada Post has revealed that Metro Vancouver has the worst record in Canada, accounting for almost half of all thefts from community mailboxes across the country.

In Langley alone there have been more than 250 such break-ins so far this year.

The shocking statistic comes as no surprise to resident Dan Stark, whose box near 75th Avenue and 232 Street has been broken into and his mail stolen three times since Christmas.

“The fact it keeps happening means whoever is doing it is doing it quite easily,” said Stark. “I’m frustrated. You can’t trust that your mail is going to be safe. You don’t even know what’s getting stolen. I can’t understand why they would put a mailbox down a dead-end street in the dark.”

Other recent thefts from community mailboxes include Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island, Oliver and the Okanagan. In Oliver, the two mailboxes were actually stolen instead of just being broken into.

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton defended community mailboxes, saying entry can only be gained through the use of “extreme force.”

He did however confirm that the problem is worse in B.C. than anywhere else in Canada.

“While incidents of vandalism and theft are minimal on a national scale, incidents are highest in BC,” said Hamilton in an email, noting that 30 people have been caught stealing mail in B.C. so far this year.

In fact, the Metro Vancouver break-ins represent “almost half of all incidents in Canada in 2013,” said Hamilton, who would not reveal the exact number of break-ins.

Langley RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Holly Marks said there were more than 250 break-ins in Langley in the first five months of 2014.

Marks said that for police the bigger problem is the resulting identity theft that is often the impetus behind the mailbox break-in.

“They steal the mail and then they steal the identities,” Marks said.

Dawn, a resident of the Langley neighbourhood of Walnut Grove, has had a community mailbox for 10 years, during which time it has been broken into three times.

Dawn’s real name is not being used because of the ongoing RCMP investigation into the theft of her identity. Part of the investigation is whether mail stolen during one of those thefts could have been used to steal her identity to open a credit card account on which there was $8,000 in fraudulent charges rung up in Toronto.

“I think I would much rather have a [mail] slot on my door,” she said.

Last December, Canada Post stated it would double the number of community mailboxes in Canada over the next five years to cover a total of nine million addresses.

This is expected to save $500 million a year as door-to-door postal delivery is more costly than providing community mailboxes. Canada Post has promised the new community mailboxes will be more secure than those presently in use.

Canada Post said it upgrades mailboxes where there are problems but while Stark’s box has been fixed, it hasn’t been upgraded or moved from the dark, dead-end street where it is located. He is considering renting a secure mailbox in Fort Langley.

Marks said the RCMP is working with Canada Post to “harden” the boxes so they’re tougher to break into.

Hamilton wouldn’t explain the changes in depth.

“We do not divulge the specifics regarding security initiatives, but we have made many adjustments, including enhanced locks,” he said. “Any time we notice a box has been tampered with, or someone has attempted to tamper with it, we investigate and enforce any areas they have attempted to gain entry.”

Marks said there’s no way police can monitor every mailbox in the community, so she advises people to take some precautions like removing their mail daily and having it kept at the post office when they go away on holiday.

You can go to the Canada Post website at www.canadapost.ca and punch in your postal code to see if your community has started the transition to the new system.

fluba@theprovince.com

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