HC Deb 07 December 1960 vol 631 cc1259-61
44. Mr. Costain

asked the Postmaster-General what additional steps he is taking to protect Crown post offices from robberies.

The Postmaster-General (Mr. Reginald Bevins)

Organised crime against the Post Office has given me great concern. I have carried out a review of our security and have decided on a considerable number of additional precautions. For obvious reasons the House will not expect me to give details of these.

I can say, however, that as regards Crown post offices I have greatly increased our night patrols, and that numerous other physical measures either have been or are being urgently taken. Apart from our own review of preventive measures—which has included scale payment offices as well as Crown offices—I have also sought expert advice from outside the Post Office as a double check.

I am considering, as a matter of urgency, how insurance stamps can be identified in order to deter thefts of such stamps and to make it dangerous to dispose of them when they are stolen.

The House may wish to know that every day there are about 1 million bags of mail on the move, of which last year only three a day were either lost or mistreated. In 1959–60 we transacted business with our customers to the value of nearly £6,000 million. In the same period our gross losses through burglary from our 25,000 post offices was some £130,000 or about one five-hundredth of one per cent. of total turnover.

Even so—and I should like to emphasise this—I take a serious view of these crimes, and I shall not be satisfied until our precautions are proved effective.

Mr. Costain

Is my right hon. Friend aware that his answer will give a great deal of satisfaction, but in view of the public alarm and the trouble to Post Office staff in this connection, could he give some figures of the attempted robberies which have been foiled and which are not generally reported in the newspapers?

Mr. Bevins

Yes. Between March, 1959 and November of this year there were 26 successful robberies and breakings-in at Crown post offices, and during the same period there were 54 unsuccessful attempts.

Mr. W. R. Williams

Whilst appreciating the immediate actions which are suggested in the reply of the Postmaster-General, may I in the first place ask him to convey to those servants of his own Department and to the servants of British Railways who have been the victims of foul and dastardly attacks the sense of concern and sympathy in all parts of this House? [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."] Having said that, may I ask the Postmaster-General to appreciate that while we recognise fully the many complex problems which are associated both with the Crown offices and the railway transit of mails, we should like an assurance that the joint consultations between his Department and any other Ministries concerned will not only be at administrative or investigation branch levels, but will become a high-level Ministerial responsibility as well, because it is obvious that although the attacks and the robberies are on a small scale when related to the total transactions, exceptional measures are required to prevent their going any further?

Mr. Bevins

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for what he said about the Post Office and railway staffs. I thank him very much indeed. As regards collaboration, I assure the House that I have personally been dealing with this matter during the last two months and I have indeed collaborated with several of my right hon. Friends. I shall continue to do so.