Red Deer businesses dealing with repeated mail thefts

Businesses in an industrial area northwest of Red Deer are calling on Canada Post to help them deal with mail thefts.

The community mailboxes in the Burnt Lake and Queens industrial parks have been broken into at least six times in the last three months.

Suzanne Dietrich, an officer manager with Nor-Ag Limited, says thieves have smashed in the doors and even dragged the whole mailbox away.

She says businesses in the industrial areas rely on Canada Post to send invoices and receive cheques.

"At one point we weren't getting our mail for a number of weeks because they had to fix the box, so once a week they would have someone actually hand deliver to each of the businesses (but)four days a week you're taking someone out of your own office that has to get into a vehicle, drive across town, go to Canada Post to pick up your mail."

Dietrich says Canada Post keeps repairing the mailbox and putting it back up in the same place. She'd like them to consult with businesses in the area to see if there is amore suitable location with camera surveillance.

"We do have a very good security program happening out in our communities that we've put together as a community, but obviously this is a very quick smash-and-grab type of event that happens," she said.

Canada Post has not returned a request from CBC News for comment.