JEDDAH, 19 May 2006 — Apparently the vandals got to some mailboxes before the postmen had a chance to.
Some people in Jeddah have discovered that their mailboxes, which have recently been installed as part of the drive to offer home mail delivery, have been vandalized or stolen even before the service has gone into effect.
According to local press reports yesterday, an official from the Saudi Postal Corporation (SPC) said that a number of thieves who were caught stealing or damaging the boxes have been caught and punished.
“This is a government property that must not be broken or stolen,” the source told the daily Al-Madinah newspaper.
Abu Muhsin, whose mailbox went missing, said he thought it would have been better to install the mailboxes inside apartments rather than outside where they are more prone to theft or vandalism.
Gen. Duhaim Al-Shibani, head of Al-Safa Police Station Division, told the daily that the number of incidents was still relatively low, but that authorities were taking them very seriously. The SPC is still in the process of implementing the new service, called Wasel, that will for the first time offer home delivery and pick-up of mails for an annual fee using the new boxes.
General mail delivery has traditionally been handled through post office boxes or using work addresses.
