Break-ins to community mailboxes continue to be an issue for Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP.
Eight Canada Post community mailboxes in Lumby, Coldstream and Vernon were broken into sometime overnight on March 2.
“We are still investigating to determine what was stolen in these incidents,” said RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy.
The boxes broken into were located on Whitevale and Kerby Roads in Lumby; Palmer and Tronson Roads in Vernon; Highway 6 and Coltland Place in Coldstream. RCMP are looking into the possibility that all of the break-ins were related.
Noseworthy said they’ve had reports of sensitive items being taken from the mailboxes.
“We’ve also had people turn in mail that has been discarded,” she said.
“People will usually wait a few weeks for their passport or driver’s licence that they’re expecting. When it doesn’t show up, they realize it’s been taken and report it.”
Residents are reminded to pick up their mail – if it’s in a community mailbox – as soon as possible.
In February, police received reports of community mailboxes being broken into in Coldstream and Lavington. And, in January, there were reports of thefts in Vernon on Crosby Road and Davison Road (both off Bella Vista Road) and from boxes on Old Kamloops Road.
In almost all of the incidents, it has been a postal delivery person arriving at the box in the morning who has discovered they’ve been tampered with.
“The boxes are generally put in areas that don’t interfere with residences, but they’re also harder to see in the middle of night,” said Noseworthy.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP at 250-545-7171 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.