Can anyone open a Post Box and empty it? Not sure if I just witnessed a crime...

[somethingnewandexciting]

Getting into the car an hour or so ago to do a dog walk and see a man by the post box with a big black people carrier van. He was wearing black joggers and a white beany hat, trainers. He looked like he was trying to hide, or as if I startled him a little by coming to the car. I then notice he has a little blue zipped bag, like a laptop sized neoprene or something and he is sorting through post and putting things into it, then he got keys out on a long lanyard, closed the post box door and drove off in the black van. Is this something off duty postmen not in their work vans can just do? It felt off but I am not sure who to tell or if it is just someone doing their job? I got a bad picture of the side of the van as it pulled off, so no number plate. Do I just leave it? I feel people might have posted ££ for Christmas and this guy is going around potentially finding things that look worth something and taking them?

Our postie drives around in a white van.

They only have the final collection time on them now. If they had keys they were probably Royal Mail staff in a lease van. My DH was a postman for 30+ years. Get in touch with Royal Mail in the first instance, collections, as they will know if the vehicle is one they’re using or not.

Individual keys

Sounds semi-legit. Temps don't normally empty boxes round here, but he might have been trained to.
Each box has its own key.
You have to take all the mail out, scan a barcode in the box and change the small metal collection day tab.
Can't imagine it's worth stealing anything from them though. Lots of stool samples these days destined for the NHS.
Talk to your local delivery office (where you pick your parcels up from) if you want to put your mind at ease. He really should have at least had a Royal Mail Hi-viz on. (But then these can easily be obtained by any Tom, Dick or Harry.)

The days of four collections per day at exact times are long gone. It’s probably only once a day in many places. No uniform? I wouldn’t say uniform is proof of legitimacy, you could probably get a similar looking red jacket on eBay. (TfL employees are instructed to remove logos when they dispose of old uniform, in case of infiltration.) Even a basic hi-vi makes you look official: rumour has it that Banksy’s disguise is no more than a hi-vi.

Mind you, in my town, there’s a post box mummified in black plastic, which looks as if the door is missing. Vandalism?

And I doubt if many people send cash by post these days.