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Police deliver Amazon packages left outside mailbox in View Royal

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Officers with West Shore RCMP hand-delivered Amazon packages that had been left outside of a community mailbox in View Royal on Saturday.

Spokesperson Cst. Nancy Saggar says that none of the packages were damaged or opened, but they had been exposed to the elements and to possible theft.

The RCMP were notified by a concerned passerby at 10 p.m. on October 17 that the packages had been left at the end of Edwards Estate Rd.

The watch commander and another officer reached out to Amazon and were told that the company would not take the packages back.

According to the RCMP, Amazon then went on to say that the customers would have to contact the company to inform them they didn’t receive their items. Amazon would then re-send missing or lost items.

Saggar says that the RCMP determined that the best course of action would be to hand deliver the items personally, since the detachment can only hold lost or stolen property for 90 days and because they had address information to follow-up on with each package.

The officers delivered all of the eight packages that had been left outside, to eight different homes.

Saggar says the RCMP do not know for certain if the packages were abandoned by a delivery driver, or otherwise moved by another person to where police found them.

A spokesperson for Amazon told Victoria Buzz they are investigating the incident and are taking the matter seriously, but was unable to comment further on the incident before publication.

Saggar says that video surveillance is one way for homeowners to protect themselves from potential mail theft or “porch pirates” who steal packages.

She added that putting up a sign to inform would-be thieves that they are being monitored is often more of a deterrent than simply having a camera.

As for the possibility of a delivery gone awry, Saggar said there’s only so much homeowners can do.

“Aside from trying to plan your deliveries and have somebody home — but that’s difficult with Amazon.”

Tim Ford
Tim Ford
Digital staff writer with Victoria Buzz

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