The Montserrat Postal Services has installed 70 post boxes across two communities here, as part of efforts to meet customers’ needs and provide easily accessible postal services to clients.
The department recently installed 35 boxes at the Lookout Warden Supported Unit and another 35 at the Salem Police Station.
Director of the Montserrat Postal Services, Mrs. Nyota Mulcare explained that after the initial reintroduction of the Post Box System in 2016, the department received calls for the post boxes to also be placed in communities. She said, “In 2016 the first set of 93 boxes were launched with 35 boxes being installed at the Government Headquarters compound and 58 in Little Bay at the Social Security Building. After this first launch, an influx of requests was received from the public island-wide and in reviewing the applications, I noticed they came from a wide cross section of the island, but for some areas much more than others. As a result of these requests, I decided to take the post box system into the communities and that is what triggered the launch of the new set of boxes in July of 2018.”
During the installation in the communities, the Montserrat Postal Services also installed 35 additional boxes on the Government Headquarters compound.
The Director further noted that the department is willing to provide this service in other communities, if there is a great demand for it and once they can find a safe and accessible area. Mrs. Mulcare also pointed out that the installation of the post boxes in communities will not affect the Sub-Post Offices. She said, “The Sub-Post Offices will remain as we still have a national duty to cater to the needs of non-post box holders.”
The Montserrat Postal Services is also working on providing other services to persons here. “In the pipeline, we are currently working on a track and trace system for registered items (mails and parcels) leaving Montserrat, so that persons can see when their items have arrived at the intended destination,” announced Mrs. Mulcare.
The Montserrat Postal Services also offers an e-commerce swift service called the ‘MNI Post Pack’ which allows registered customers to obtain a United States (US) address and box number. Once on this service, the customer can order items online, ship them to the US address for onward shipment to Montserrat on a weekly basis.
Since the ‘MNI Post Pack’ service was launched in October 2016, the Postal Services has registered 455 customers and receives more than 120 parcels per week, with this number doubling in the peak seasons.
