UK C4’s dispatches – statement sets the record straight concerning Royal Mail allegations

Royal Mail today welcomed Channel Four’s acknowledgement that a key part of April’s Dispatches film concerning the alleged theft of a Barclaycard was inaccurate, and that a mock-up of a postal worker stealing money from a birthday card in a newspaper advertisement for the programme was not backed up by any similar acts filmed by undercover reporters.

Chief Executive Adam Crozier said, “Royal Mail and its people face more scrutiny in the media than most organisations. That’s fair enough – but from time to time when a real inaccuracy is portrayed, we need to intevene to ensure that our side is put across in a fair and balanced way.

“Channel Four claimed to be showing credit cards being stolen from Royal Mail’s postal operation. Channel Four’s statement today makes it clear that the cards featured were not stolen from Royal Mail and in fact had never been handled by Royal Mail.

“Our people were frankly outraged at the promotion of this film with posed shots of an actor pretending to be a postman stealing from the mail. Channel Four now acknowledges that not only was the image a mock-up, but that in six months of undercover investigations at a number of our sites nothing of this kind was filmed.

“The ability to trust the integrity of the postal system is of paramount importance to all our customers. No organisation is immune from criminal activity – but it must be put into the proper context. The facts should stand for themselves. Only 0.005% of letters are affected by theft – and 90% of incidents of theft are when postmen and women are the victims, not the perpetrators, of crime. Channel Four’s film and its promotion did not, in our opinion, sufficiently acknowledge these facts.”

Despite our strong record on security Royal Mail is constantly looking to improve things further. Royal Mail has now gained the right to vet new recruits for criminal records. This is an important step in making the postal service even more secure, which the company had secured before the Dispatches film, but which had not at that stage been made public.

Channel Four’s undercover filming took place at a time of massive change in the postal service. The number of temporary employees within the company was higher than normal. It has now been reduced from a high of 22,000 people to around 4,000.

Adam Crozier emphasised that Royal Mail’s services have improved since the period during which filming was undertaken. “We went through an unofficial strike. We have been through massive changes to put the company back on a stable footing, and to put our people on a better wage and a five day week. These things caused temporary dips in service quality. But since this film was broadcast we have made real and lasting improvements, month after month, in our quality of service. Where we could learn from this film we have made improvements. But where the film was inaccurate we have set the record straight.”

Ends

Issued by Royal Mail:
148 Old Street
LONDON
EC1V 9HQ
www.royalmail.com

JOINT STATEMENT BY CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION CORPORATION, HARDCASH PRODUCTIONS AND ROYAL MAIL

1. On 29 April this year Channel 4 broadcast a documentary programme about the experiences of 2 undercover reporters working as casuals for Royal Mail. This led to an OFCOM complaint by Royal Mail, which felt that (1) it had been subjected to unfair treatment in “Third Class Post” and (2) wanted to protect the privacy of its employees.

2. The programme highlighted perceived problems in the use of casual workers, supplied to Royal Mail by agencies, and also prompted a debate about postal security. Royal Mail had already, prior to learning of the planned broadcast, decided to use fewer casual workers and has since announced that it will be using fewer temporary workers and had in fact been lobbying hard behind the scenes to obtain special permission from the Home Office to vet casual workers. The programme provided a valuable public service in supporting Royal Mail’s case that it should be allowed to check casual workers for undisclosed criminal records.

3. Channel 4 acknowledges that the vast majority of Royal Mail’s 200,000 people are honest and hardworking and Channel 4 is happy to make this clear and has never intended to suggest otherwise. At the time the programme was made Royal Mail was using the services of a large number of casual agency workers. Royal Mail is working with its employment agencies and unions to create a pool of high-calibre temporary workers who can now be more thoroughly vetted and used at periods of high demand.

4. Royal Mail shed approximately 30,000 of 220,000 jobs last year. The programme reported upon some operational issues that Royal Mail has been addressing such as clarification on the standards of behaviour expected of everyone working for Royal Mail, some day to day working practices, issues of security on Royal Mail premises and the training of new recruits.

5. Certain Royal Mail managers appeared in the programme without their knowledge or consent. Whilst Channel 4 believes it was appropriate to identify these people in the programme it is not suggested that they were involved in any wrongdoing and any distress caused to them by their identification is regretted.

6. The programme included secret filming of an agency worker at Royal Mail admitting that he had stolen a credit card from the post and describing how it is done. He was filmed supplying a stolen credit card to an undercover reporter which he boasted had been stolen from Royal Mail. Channel 4 acknowledges and accepts, following evidence supplied after broadcast by Barclaycard that the credit card had not in fact been taken from the post as the worker had claimed but had been fraudulently obtained and was being fenced by a temporary postal worker away from Royal Mail premises. Channel 4 regrets this inadvertent inaccuracy. Another casual worker, who also boasted in the programme of his acts of criminality, has subsequently been arrested and charged with conspiracy by the Police as a result of the work by the undercover investigative reporters. He denies the charges.

7. Newspaper advertisements to promote the programme consisted of a mocked-up photograph showing an envelope containing a birthday card being opened and money taken from it by an actor posing as a Royal Mail worker. During the period of undercover filming, no such or similar acts were filmed.

8. Royal Mail’s statistics show that about 21 billion letters are sent each year and 99.92% of all mail is delivered safely. The programme interviewed various victims of theft from the post in the light of the fact that more than 1 million letters were stolen or lost or misaddressed during the 2003/2004 financial year. Royal Mail is the first to recognise that a single letter that goes missing is a matter of the utmost concern to it. As the film pointed out the problems highlighted by the programme, although serious, amount to a very small proportion overall. Channel 4 recognises that letters go astray for a variety of reasons, such as wrong addresses, not merely theft.

9. This statement is published following discussions between Royal Mail and Channel 4 to clarify the position and Royal Mail has withdrawn its complaints to OFCOM.