Parcel theft – Up to 200,000 postal parcels go missing every year – News

Swiss Post processes record volumes before Christmas. The danger of parcel theft is also increasing. How to protect yourself from it.

Especially before Christmas it is annoying when packages do not arrive at the right place. According to the Post, the number of thefts is in the lowest single-digit per thousand range. But in absolute figures it sounds impressive: around 200,000 parcels were lost or stolen last year.

This year it is expected to be 190,000 packages. The number of packages processed fell slightly. To put this into perspective: Swiss Post processed around 200 million parcels last year. This year it will be an estimated 190 million.

The Post does not want to speak of a percentage increase in thefts. But Post media spokesman Stefan Dauner admits: “In view of the exploded number of parcels in recent years, it is a mathematical logic that more packages were stolen.”

At the request of SRF, Digitec Galaxus wrote that 0.2 to 0.3 percent of the packages sent by the company were lost or stolen every year – almost twice as much as the post office reports. Apparently, the packages from the largest online retailer in Switzerland are in high demand among thieves.

Danger of theft on the doorstep

Parcels are typically stolen from the milk box, in stairwells or in the area of ​​house entrances, as the Solothurn canton police write. Around 130 parcel thefts are registered there every year.

If parcels are too big for the milk crate, the postman can also deposit them in front of the front door. However, this is only possible if they can be stored away from the street and protected from the weather or if the postal customer explicitly requests that they be deposited. Otherwise, the post office has to create a collection ticket and take the package back with you.

Legend:

In the city of Zurich alone, 416 packages have been stolen in 2022.

SRF/Harry Stitzel

SRF knows of cases in which packages were also left in front of the front door, although they were clearly visible from the street. It’s a matter of weighing up fast delivery and maximum security, says Post spokesman Stefan Dauner.

But: “If a package is not delivered correctly, the postal service is liable,” says Dauner. In such a case, the customer should contact Swiss Post quickly so that the facts can be clarified and the teams can be made aware.

Massive increase in insurance claims

Parcel theft is usually covered by household contents insurance. Zurich Insurance writes on its website that in most cases it contains the “simple theft cover module at home”.

The insurance group Axa wrote on request that it had tripled the reported parcel thefts since 2018. Around 500 reported thefts are expected this year. This corresponds to only around two percent of all reported simple thefts. A parcel theft costs Axa an average of just under 300 francs. In order to report a parcel theft to the household contents insurance, it is always mandatory to report it to the police.