DELTA Police announced on Thursday that the City has seen a significant spike in mail thefts in these past two months, as have many other cities across Metro Vancouver. In March and April, Delta had 23 separate instances of mail theft reported to police, compared to six for the same time in 2019.

Many of the instances involved thefts of mail from mailboxes in apartment buildings, meaning a number of people were victimized in each instance.

The majority of the thefts were in North Delta in apartment buildings, and there were also some instances of package thefts, that took place throughout the city.

“Physical restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the public’s use of online shopping, leading to an increase in parcel delivery,” noted Cris Leykauf, spokesperson for Delta Police. “Additionally officers suspect thieves may be targeting government relief cheques.”

Police are concerned that this trend of increased mail theft will continue. Contactless delivery has meant an increased amount of packages that are potentially being left on doorsteps. Residents are urged to take precautions where possible, such as ensuring someone will be home to accept delivery of a package.

Police have discussed a range of additional security measures with the owners and managers of apartment buildings that have been targeted, such as improving the physical security of mailboxes, and using CCTV cameras.