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I started a campaign against ID fraud shortly before my incarceration as a political prisoner in January 2003, due to the persistent habits of my postman putting letters hanging out of my letterbox – a massive invitation to criminals if ever there was one! Yet Royal Mail and the police are utterly corrupt as they demonstrated by refusing to do anything meaningful about it when I pointed it out to them. I believe that this is not an isolated situation and that it is happening in many other parts of Britain (especially since a programme earlier in January 2003 on national TV showed how easily ID fraud can be done if you get access to someone's mail) and maybe the rest of the world.
I handed out the following leaflet on 23 January 2003 – scroll down for further information
I am delivering this message to other residents who probably have the same postman or woman as me, to alert you all to the danger of having our identities stolen by fraudsters. A TV programme about two weeks ago showed how easy it is to impersonate someone and get credit cards in that person’s name by stealing important items of mail. My current postie today delivered two letters folded over but hanging out of my letterbox. This is not an isolated incident; it happened repeatedly and consistently about two years ago. I complained twice to Royal Mail at that time and the postie eventually stopped doing it. I suspect that the same postie is back to his or her old habits, since it would be a big coincidence if it was somebody else.
There are three possibilities:
The postie is simply being lazy (but it doesn’t take long to put a letter in a letterbox).
The postie is part of an ID fraud gang, and other members of the gang pick up important letters later in the day, putting less important letters back to limit suspicion.
The postie is trying to intimidate me (and possibly help the stealing of my ID) since I am a leading campaigner against the introduction of ID cards by the New Labour government, which would be a massive threat to our civil liberties. ID cards would not stop ID fraud since the documents required to obtain such cards would be easy to obtain. To find out more about this issue or my socialist views, visit my website: www.stevewallis.org. [That is my old website address; click on this link.]
I think that, whatever the postie’s motivations, this issue is so serious that he or she should be suspended immediately and then sacked after an investigation. It would not be sufficient for him or her to be shifted to another part of Manchester or Britain, since he or she could continue the same dubious practices on other unsuspecting residents. I have contacted Royal Mail, and took Jimmy Connor (not Connors!), the Manager of M14 Division, around the flats to show examples of other people’s letters that have not been pushed through. I have also spoken on the telephone to Marc Jackson, the Pipeline Support Manager of Royal Mail in Manchester, and he assured me that the postie will be spoken to about it but not suspended. He said that a more senior person in Royal Mail, Phil Winstanley, may contact me, but he has not yet done so despite having had all afternoon to get in touch (and in these days of mobile phones I find it hard to believe that he could not be contacted).
The M14 Manager advised me to contact the police. I phoned them up and they said it was unlikely anything could be done so quickly, but I was promised a visit from them in the morning. The police didn’t turn up.
I have also spoken to somebody on the Communication Workers Union Manchester switchboard, to alert the union to this issue and to try to prevent them from defending the postie any more than they are obliged to do. As a trade unionist myself, I feel it is particularly important that this dispute does not develop into a battle between residents and a trade union.
I am asking for support from other residents in this matter. I don’t know if any of you have complained about this postie before, but it has become clear that only our collective action can force organisations like Royal Mail and the police to take any meaningful action. I may produce a petition for other residents to sign, but any other suggestions for how to move forward would be appreciated. Maybe we should have a Residents Association so that this and other matters can be discussed.
I started handing out the following leaflet (which also contained information about the upcoming war on Iraq, student fees and the struggle for socialism) on 24 January 2003
Many of you will have received my previous leaflet about the Whiteoak Road postman who has been encouraging ID fraud (and may be part of an ID fraud gang). He has been repeatedly putting letters hanging out of letterboxes, despite two previous complaints by me to Royal Mail. To read the original leaflet or find out the latest news, visit my website: www.stevewallis.org. Two fellow Whiteoak Road residents have now told me of problems they have had with him – one confronted him face to face and he has repeatedly left her post hanging out of her letterbox when he was pushing through other residents’ and also slammed her letterbox waking her baby many times; the other resident reported that credit cards and cheques have gone missing.
Royal Mail have now spoken to him and he did not leave letters hanging out of letterboxes today. However, he could start again at any time, maybe in another area. Therefore, we must continue to demand that he is suspended immediately and sacked after an investigation. Somebody told me that this postman’s practice is quite widespread across Manchester. Royal Mail and the police are refusing to act, so it is up to ordinary people to unite together and defeat the fraudsters. If we achieve a victory in Whiteoak Road, it will inspire others to conduct similar campaigns elsewhere.
So that we can discuss what to do next, and also talk about other issues of concern to Fallowfield residents such as problems with the New Labour council, you’re landlord or your university, I am calling a founding meeting of Fallowfield Residents Association on Monday 27 January at 7pm in the Withington Community Centre (the sign says Withington Adult Learning Centre), Burton Road, near the junction with Wilmslow Road and Palatine Road in the centre of Withington. I will bring along some petitions for your friends and neighbours to sign.
Two weird undecipherable messages were left on my answering machine while I was delivering the original leaflet. I suspect that some people in the telecommunications industry are opposing us, so if I have not replied to a telephone or email message you have left for me, please visit my flat on Whiteoak Road (the letterbox is round the back) or come to the Residents Association meeting. Do not send me anything important in the post for obvious reasons.
