Reporting a Royal Mail sorting office for mail theft

[3Britnee]

Does anyone know where you report royal mail to for mail theft? I've googled and can only find their own complaints page.

Would you fill out a police online crime form for this?

My post has routinely and continuously not been delivered - for years -, while someone I know on the next street never has an issue at all. This is important post like vehicle log books, debit cards and the odd parking fine that I only knew about once bailiffs turned up!!!

Why would anyone steal your parking fines or vehicle registration?
Report to the PO first, there is no evidence of theft but someone might not be doing their job properly or there may be an issue with your address at their end

I'm not sure I would jump straight to theft. Why would anyone steal a parking fine? I would assume there is an issue with your address and I would look at enquiring about that in the first instance. It's possible they are posting your mail at the wrong house.

Do you know someone that has it in for you that works at the sorting office? That’s how I’m reading it.

Have you spoken to the delivery office?

I had a similar issue. Post not turning up, once even a registered letter failed to arrive and got lost in the system. I complained , got fobbed off , escalated it and they just sent the post woman around to my house to have a go at me. I complained again and was ignored. Eventually had to move and that weirdly sorted the problem.

Report to the PO first

Royal Mail, not the Post Office.

3Britnee, you can let RM know of your concerns about missing mail, but I wouldn't be reporting theft without a good reason. Sorting offices handle thousands of pieces of mail, sometimes things do go missing.

You should follow Royal Mails complaints procedure if you suspect something is going wrong. If you are not happy with the outcome you can escalate it to a ring fenced department within RM called The Postal Review Panel. If you are still unhappy you can go to an independent body called POSTRS.

There was recently something in the news about a postie keeping certain people’s mail for years and everyone having to be apologised to. It is shocking how long it can go on for before its admitted.

This happened in our small town about 12 years ago, turned out to be a lazy postman who was delivering whatever he felt like then taking the rest home and hiding it in his loft and shed. I complained for months, even going as far as my MP, but no one cared or did anything other than send me the occasional book of stamps as "compensation". The postman finally got caught when he was moving house and left a black bin liner full of undelivered mail out for the refuse collection. Bin man called the police who searched his property and found years' worth of mail. And what did Royal Mail reply to my "I told you so" letter? They said that this was so rare they never consider it!

Is your address a bit unusual? Or similar to another one? I wouldn't leap to theft automatically but it does need to be flagged with royal mail so they can look into it.

This has been going on for years. I don't know anyone in the area really, no one in the sorting office.

After a run of non-deliveries, you go in the sorting office, they magically find it in the back.

This sorting office had its manager jailed for theft in the past. www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/postal-theft-2747/

They might steal log books to look out for the car so they can steal that, it's a proper scummy area. I don't know why they steal post but I'm sick of it.

I've put a complaint in on RM's website but I don't hold out much hope for that.

@hiptobeasquare

You should follow Royal Mails complaints procedure if you suspect something is going wrong. If you are not happy with the outcome you can escalate it to a ring fenced department within RM called The Postal Review Panel. If you are still unhappy you can go to an independent body called POSTRS.

Thank you!

As for why would they steal fines etc, they don't know what it is until they open it.

@Orf1abc

Report to the PO first

Royal Mail, not the Post Office.

3Britnee, you can let RM know of your concerns about missing mail, but I wouldn't be reporting theft without a good reason. Sorting offices handle thousands of pieces of mail, sometimes things do go missing.

The odd thing, I'd understand, but this is pretty much everything.

@Hoppinggreen

Why would anyone steal your parking fines or vehicle registration? Report to the PO first, there is no evidence of theft but someone might not be doing their job properly or there may be an issue with your address at their end

I don't know, but why have 3 not arrived? 1 I'd understand got lost, but not 3. I had to pay £25 when I ordered the 2nd one, the 3rd one they sent out free of charge, but now I'll probably have to pay for another one again. That's 50 quid because of some thieving cunt in the sorting office.

It may not be strictly theft. I once reported non-delivery of my mail (hadn't been years, in my case, but several months) and it turned out the postie had been taking the mail back to the office and hiding it in her locker. There'd been a scaffolding pole up on the outside steps down to my flat that you had to squeeze round, and she must have been bigger than me as she apparently wasn't able to get round it to deliver.
I was annoyed, but more perturbed that she didn't feel able to tell a manager and just get it sorted out.

My mum worked as a postmaster all her life - it happens a lot. Postmen and women seem to be a mix of 1) early risers 2) people who like being outdoors 3) people who like meeting people 4) mums who can do the home time school run 5) people who work to live rather than live to work and 6) people who think it's an easy skive. The last category are the ones who cause the problems.

My mum worked in a town centre main post office and had to deal with mail hoarding roughly once a year. It doesn't happen at the main city centre sorting offices as 99% is done mechanically, it's done at the local post office where mail bags are sorted into pigeonholes and given to the delivery staff to deliver. Every now and again you'll get someone who can't be bothered, goes to the park or somewhere quiet to smoke weed, and then takes it home and sticks it in his shed or has a bonfire.

Would also add - check with your neighbours to see if the same thing is happening. If several people put in valid complaints from the same area, RM will investigate if they see a pattern (or did when my mum worked there). She didn't go into too much detail as it was confidential, but I do remember one of her staff being followed on his rounds for several days until they caught him. It's a sackable offence - it's like a cashier stealing from a bank.

My aunt lived in an area which was terrible for mail theft. We learned pretty quickly to never send anything of any value to her, gifts didn’t arrive and cards were always sliced open. She’s moved just a few miles away and now has no issues at all with her post, even though she now lives somewhere with a more complicated address.

As you have gone through reporting with the Royal Mail itself and given the history of the particular sorting office, I suggest going to the police. I don't think use of social media would be appropriate.

@newnortherner111

As you have gone through reporting with the Royal Mail itself and given the history of the particular sorting office, I suggest going to the police. I don't think use of social media would be appropriate.

This would be what I'd want to do but I doubt they'd get involved. It is theft and it is very inconvenient.

I called the sorting office this morning so based on previous visits to them I'd expect a delivery of a load of backlogged post in the next couple of days. I'll get my DH to go in there tomorrow and ask for any post too.

I'll see what happens regarding my rm complaint and if that doesn't resolve it I'll escalate it as detailed by a pp.

Happened to my colleague and some of her neighbours and she went to the police who did investigate. She’s on mat leave now so not sure if it’s been resolved!

So who are you accusing of theft? Look up the definition of theft first....

Doesn’t sound like they are intending go to permanently deprive you of your post if hey give it to you in the sorting office

If the sorting office has previous, to use a phrase, perhaps the police might be interested.

@TO12T39FRQ

So who are you accusing of theft? Look up the definition of theft first....

Doesn’t sound like they are intending go to permanently deprive you of your post if hey give it to you in the sorting office

I think they hold on to it for a while to see if you come in for it, so they can give it back if you do, if you don't, they keep it, open it, and see if there's anything worthwhile in it.

Why would weeks worth of post be sitting in the sorting office when the postman goes down my road every day?

There is definitely something dodgy going on.