How Centralized Mail Units Improve Neighborhood Safety
Centralized mail units make it easier for a community of people to receive and retrieve their mail. Business offices and apartments often use this type of delivery system to keep tenants’ letters, packages, and more in one secure place. A centralized mail unit also provides this convenience to neighborhoods so that homeowners can have the same luxury available to them.
This convenient delivery system can also improve safety and security. You may not immediately associate a mailbox with a form of personal safety, and that’s understandable. This is why we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide to how centralized mail units improve neighborhood safety. Read below to see how the right mailbox choice can make a community safer.
Package Theft
Anyone living in a neighborhood can order packages in many different forms. These packages can range from a few Blu-Rays to a crate of pricey wine. Suffice it to say that the sizes of packages that arrive in neighborhoods vary quite a bit. In addition, these items can vary in value, with some being very cheap and replaceable, while others may be a big investment. Saving up for an expensive graphics card for your PC will prove unsatisfying if someone swipes the package off your porch upon delivery. Unfortunately, it’s not rare for a homeowner to be away at work or somewhere else when a package finally reaches their home.
When homeowners arrive home and find a delivery on their doorsteps, they bring the packages inside, where they’re safe and sound. However, this situation doesn’t always work out so smoothly because of thieves. Simply put, leaving packages waiting on any home’s porch makes them susceptible to theft. If someone drives by a resident’s home and sees a package left unattended, they can easily walk up and take it for themselves. What makes this even more stressful for locals in the community is that not all packages are just for fun.
For example, someone working from home may order equipment for their personal office setup. If someone steals that equipment, the loss can put a big dent in their productivity. In addition, some gifts are time-sensitive due to parties, holidays, or anniversaries. Someone nabbing a gift for one of those events is particularly annoying because you need it by that specific deadline. Luckily, residents in the community don’t have to stress out every time they’re not home to retrieve a delivery. Let’s look at how you can combat theft with the right mailbox choice.
Combating Theft
An easy way to prevent thieves from stealing local packages is to keep them in a centralized mail unit. For example, at Postal Supply, we have community mailboxes for sale that feature parcel lockers. As the name suggests, you can put oversized items, such as packages, into this locker for safekeeping. Bulkier packages often have more valuable items, such as speakers or stylish clothing, than smaller pieces of mail. While a homeowner works away at the office, they can rest easier knowing that their package is in a safe place when they use a centralized system. Of course, parcel lockers have a limit to the size of packages they can hold. Don’t worry—you can install cluster mailboxes with various parcel lockers to accommodate your neighborhood’s design.
That said, for those packages that will fit, you might wonder if someone could just open the locker to steal them. The good news is that it won’t be that easy if you install a high-quality, functioning centralized system. These units should have secure locks on them that ensure only authorized individuals can access what’s inside. This measure keeps the individual’s items safe from thieves and other neighbors. Keeping everyone’s packages secure makes sure that they don’t purposefully or accidentally take each other’s belongings. A thief passing by a centralized unit won’t even be able to tell if something is in the parcel locker because they can’t see inside.
Small-Scale Security
It’s also important to remember that centralized mail units are for more than just those bulkier packages in the mail. Bulky packages may more frequently have valuable items, but bills and other small pieces of mail can contain sensitive personal information. Even those small pieces of mail require safekeeping to prevent theft.
For instance, if a homeowner has a personal mailbox in front of their home with that iconic front-facing door that opens and closes with ease, a thief can easily steal from it. This setup makes mail retrieval quicker than using a lock and key will, but the centralized systems still offer quick access to mail with the added benefit of extra security.
Just as they can walk up to a homeowner’s porch, a thief can open an unlocked mailbox and drive off with someone’s personal mail. Any high-quality, reliable centralized mail unit should have all the lockers for small and large mail locked. When the resident receives their key, keeping that key safe is their responsibility, but heightened neighborhood mail security starts with the installation of a securely locked system.
Maintaining the Security
After installing the centralized mail unit, maintenance is critical to ensure that it keeps your neighborhood safer. Left unattended and uncared for, a secure mailbox can fall into disarray over time. If any locals in the community reach out about a broken lock or some other form of mailbox damage, act promptly to ensure their mail remains secure. The longer you put off the fix, the more time thieves will have to steal from the unit.
As you can see, learning how centralized mail units improve neighborhood safety is important for those involved with the design and construction of the area. A mailbox may seem simple at first, but even the smallest design details can impact how safely these systems hold residents’ belongings. The more you know about why this type of mail delivery system is so important, the easier it will be to separate good and bad options on the market. Create a safer neighborhood today with the help of a secure, centralized mail unit for all residents in the community.
