Mail stolen from post office boxes in Phillip Island

A callous mail thief has stolen from post office boxes in Phillip Island, vandalising the unit before taking off with letters and parcels.

A set of PO boxes were targeted in Phillip Island. Picture: Joel Carrett

A callous mail thief vandalised post office boxes in Phillip Island before taking off with letters and parcels.

Sergeant Chris Brinkman said police were called to Sunset Strip on August 5 after reports post office boxes had been vandalised.

Sgt Brinkman said offenders forced opened a large door at the back of the unit before stealing the parcels and letters between 11am on August 4 and 10.30am on August 5.

In a letter sent to a PO box owner, Australia Post said it was unclear what mail was stolen.

“It is not known whether any mail that was in your post office box is missing but we are alerting you to this incident so that you can follow up on any mail that you were expecting around this time but did not receive,” they said.

“The integrity of the mail is our highest priority but unfortunately incidents such as this can occur however rarely, despite rigorous precautions.”

An Australia Post spokesperson told The Bass Coast News they were helping police with the investigation.

“Australia Post is fully co-operating with their investigation,” they said.

“We are working to identify and notify impacted customers, and repairs to the PO boxes are underway including installation of additional security measures.”

Australia Post said PO box customers can collect their mail and parcels at Cowes Post Office in the meantime.

Theft or tampering with mail and parcels is a criminal offence and carries serious penalties.

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