Perth Voice Interactive

TWO mail boxes have been removed with great haste from the front of the Malaysian consulate on Adelaide Terrace over “safety and security concerns”.

We spotted an Australia Post notice in last week’s Voice quietly noting the removal.

The posties played coy when we asked for specifics, with spokesperson Michelle Skehan saying they periodically check if postboxes are needed based on usage, how close they are to other mailboxes “and whether the location is deemed high-risk as it is located near critical infrastructure”.

The notice said “due to the nature of the safety concerns, the removal and relocation of the [mailboxes] will be expedited”.

In Queensland last year terrorism threats saw the then-Campbell government shut some mailboxes and remove or seal bins. In US cities manhole covers, postboxes, rubbish bins and paper stands have all been sealed or removed. London removed its bins following IRA bomb attacks, which may explain why that city is covered in garbage.

by DAVID BELL