Postman arrested following Singpost investigations into unopened mail dumped in bin at Ang Mo Kio

[Update, Jan 29]:

A postman accused of binning the mail of Ang Mo Kio residents instead of delivering them has been arrested.

Less than 24 hours after Facebook user Alyce Kathlyn revealed that a stack of unopened mail had been unceremoniously dumped into a rubbish bin, the swift hammer of justice came down on the postman involved.

In a Facebook post published at 3.45pm today, SingPost disclosed that the case had been referred to the Police "following their findings" and the postman in question has been arrested. While they're unable to comment further due to ongoing police investigations, they expressed their gratitude to Kathlyn for "highlighting this case, and allowing (them) to look into it".

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/singpost/posts/1100174203514926?[/embed]

SingPost went on to apologise to the residents of the affected blocks - from blocks 175 to 182 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, block 611 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, blocks 612 to 615 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 and blocks 616 to 619 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

It added that those who require further assistance or are aware of any similar incidents can call a dedicated hotline at 6845 6222.

SingPost concluded their statement by expressing their intolerance for "any mishandling or misappropriation of mail" and emphasised that any postman found to have committed such acts will face disciplinary action and "where applicable, dealt with by the full extent of the law".

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[Original article, Jan 29 12.52pm] :

SingPost to investigate after unopened mail of Ang Mo Kio residents found in bin

If you are currently waiting on an important letter or parcel and happen to be a resident of Ang Mo Kio, this may be a cause for concern.

In a widely-circulated Facebook by user Alyce Kathlyn on Monday night, pieces of mail were shown thrown into a rubbish bin at Block 179 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

The user wrote in the caption: "This is why you will NEVER receive your mails and parcel from Singapore Post. Postman actually threw the letters and parcel into the bins. This is not the first time we've found this in Ang Mo Kio. LTA/CHAS government letters - unopened are all being dumped."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2091287794300163[/embed]

In subsequent photos, unopened government letters from Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Community Health Assistant Scheme (CHAS) were found amongst the stack of letters.

Commenters were understandably furious, voicing their anxiety over their possibly missing mail and recounting similar experiences which they've had.

The complaint did not go unnoticed by our national postal service, which published a statement this morning.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/singpost/posts/1100002373532109[/embed]

In their post, SingPost revealed that a team had been "immediately dispatched to comb the area overnight" and despite locating the bin in question and expanding its search to "every bin within the vicinity", they had "no success of locating the letters".

Additionally, the team also opened letter boxes to investigate if the letters had already been delivered to the affected recipients.

SingPost also mentioned that they are "conducting interviews" with the postman on duty and that their "main priority currently is to locate the letters and have them delivered to intended recipients".

But public anger and displeasure have yet to be quelled, as commenters called SingPost out on their accountability; with some requesting that they reexamine the staff they've hired.

The isn't the first time that a SingPost postman has been accused of discarding mail. On Feb 9 last year, a viral video allegedly caught one such postman red-handed.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0NN7rX2lvU[/embed]

While SingPost promptly dismissed the errant staff after investigations, it seems that the faux pas is still fresh in the minds of many Singaporeans.

Interestingly, this latest incident comes right on the heels of a recent post by SingPost on Jan 25 in which they pledged to do better and announced that "change is coming".

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/singpost/posts/1097825357083144?[/embed]

Your move, SingPost.

bryanlim@asiaone.com