Maltapost wants European standard letterboxes

Maltapost wants private letterboxes to conform to a European standard saying it is a daily feat for postmen to drop mail through posting slots.

Besides being a nightmare for Maltapost's delivery personnel, letterboxes' small apertures make large envelopes and packages very vulnerable to theft and rain.

On Christmas Eve, mail items that had been squeezed into small letterboxes were stolen from the portico of a block of flats in Sliema. Confidential letters, including people's medical results, were dispersed all over the Sliema front and some even into the sea.

Maltapost's chief executive officer, Joseph Gafà, told The Times the company had officially asked the Malta Communications Authority to implement the European standard which was adopted by the Malta Standards Authority in 2003 and which specifies the size of a letterbox and the measurements of its aperture.

Besides taking into account security and impregnability considerations, the standard specifies the height at which a letterbox should be mounted - between 700 mm and 1,700 mm from delivery floor level, extending to between 400 mm and 1,800 mm when there are groups of letterboxes. The letterbox must be able to take an A4 size envelope. The standard even lays down the opening force of the letterbox flap.

"As an operator, Maltapost cannot impose the standards as this responsibility falls with the regulator," Mr Gafà said.

The Postal Services Act gives the power to the Communications Minister and the MCA to lay down the minimum standards as to the dimension of letterboxes and posting slots.

"One would not expect the standards to be imposed overnight," Mr Gafà said, adding that Maltapost was ready to contribute in the exercise by indicating to local manufacturers and importers the sort of letterboxes which would be in line with the regulations and which would not.

A spokesman for the MCA said adherence to the standard by Malta was voluntary, stressing there is no obligation on the country to render the European directive obligatory via legislation.

Where possible, the spokesman explained, such standards should be adopted by users voluntarily and should preferably be driven by the involvement of consumer associations and industry players and not by regulatory mandate.

The public was responsible for its own mail integrity once mail reaches a private letterbox, the MCA spokesman said.

"Common sense dictates that a letterbox should be - to the extent possible - built in such fashion as to minimise risk of tampering. There will inevitably be the odd case of vandalism no matter what precautions are taken," the spokesman said.