Residents express dismay after thieves take off with parcels

A Kensington resident has been left furious after heartless thieves stole a food box parcel from her doorstep, which was later found ripped-up and discarded a few houses away.

Kim, who asked not to use her surname, said the package was usually left at her front door in Kensington Rd.

“Initially I thought we had already brought the box inside or it was somewhere else in our front garden – but no,” she said.

“It was actually a couple of days later as I was walking home; I saw the ripped-up box a few houses away in their front garden.”

“The box clearly says, ‘Marley Spoon’ on the side and upon checking I saw my name and address.”

“This is a box of food to help feed my family during the week, so it’s a cruel kind of thing to steal,” she said.

“At the same time, maybe they really needed it. I know some people are doing it tough.”

“It just seems to be so common for the neighbourhood – letters and packages going missing but also just anything that isn’t nailed down put the front of your house is fair game.”

Meanwhile, a North Melbourne resident said she had recently been robbed of parcels containing fabric and medication.

Beck, who also asked not to use her surname, said thieves had taken off with both parcels from her Melrose St home.

She said one of the missing packages was an express post satchel containing a skirt, which was ready to be collected by a courier outside her front door.

“I only realised it was missing when I saw the courier turn up at the gate and said he was booked to pick up the parcel which was no longer there.”

Beck said she was “shocked and a bit annoyed” because it had “some fabric in it which was of value to me, but unlikely to whoever stole it.”

“I went around the block later that day and found it – a box ripped open, and contents gone. We don’t have CCTV, so we never reported it.”

“I’ve never had this before despite receiving and sending parcels over the years,” Bec said, adding she was now more cautious and taking parcels to the post office.

An Australia Post spokesperson said theft of parcels and mail after delivery was a criminal offence and encouraged customers to contact the police if they suspected their mail had been tampered with or stolen.

“Customers concerned about mail security can sign up for a free MyPost account and choose to have their parcels redirected to a Post Office, a PO Box, or use one of our free 24/7 parcel lockers.” •