‘It’s alarming’: Weekly mailbox break-ins cause concern for Saskatoon neighbourhood

Residents in Kensington say someone has broken the door on their community mailbox. (Source: Facebook)

The vandalism of a community mailbox in Saskatoon’s Kensington neighbourhood has residents concerned about the frequency of these incidents, and what’s being done about them.

Opening the front compartment of community mailboxes is usually only done with a key by postal carriers, but recently vandals ripped off an entire section of mailbox doors on Steeves Avenue, exposing all the individual mailboxes and contents inside.

“I can see that the doors of that mailbox are really broken, and somebody just reports it and then they will come and fix that,” resident Razmin Delara told CTV News.

Canada Post confirmed the community box on Steeves Avenue was vandalized this past weekend, and said affected customers’ mail is being securely held for now.

In an email to CTV News, Canada Post said the incident is being investigated, and they cannot comment or provide further details.

Delara has lived near the mailbox for 10 years and while she hasn’t had anything taken out of the box yet, she says it’s a common occurrence in the area.

“It’s alarming,” she said.

The same sentiment was expressed in a recent post to social media, where a photo of the vandalized mailbox was posted.

“It usually happens quite often. Most of the time you see it every week,” the post said.

Investigators with the break and enter unit of the Saskatoon Police Service acknowledged they do regularly see theft from mailboxes, but say it’s not a growing concern.

“While mailbox theft is not an uncommon crime, we have not seen a rise in calls recently.”

Mailboxes thefts and vandalism are often reported to police by Canada Post. The thefts occur at street boxes in neighbourhoods, apartment buildings and condos, and involve the theft of bills, cheques and parcels.

Canada Post spokesperson Valérie Chartrand told CTV news they’re currently installing newer-style mailboxes around the city. Some are seen in new areas or will be replacing mailboxes that have reached the end of their life.

“Among other features, the new model has a refreshed design, a revised mounting structure, larger parcel compartments and enhanced security,” Chartrand said in an email to CTV News.

“We can’t provide details about any specific security measures related to our equipment, as doing so would hamper their effectiveness.”

Canada Post did not say if the specific box in Kensington will be replaced.

Delara says she would appreciate any effort to make her mail more secure so she doesn’t have to worry about it.

Chartrand says customers who believe they have not received a piece of letter mail should contact the sender.

If you think a parcel delivery is missing you can contact Canada Post’s customer service. Chartrand says they can look into it and potentially work with the sender, who may initiate a claim with the postal service.

You can also contact the sender to begin a claim for a refund or have the parcel sent again. Customers concerned about identity fraud should contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Anyone who has issues with a community mailbox can visit Canada Post’s community mailboxes website to connect with support.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/personal/mailboxes-and-lockers/community-mailboxes.page