Post offices still provide vital services, even if their role has changed in the era of internet and competition from private delivery services

When communication with loved ones was done by writing letters, visits to the Poste Restante counter at Hong Kong’s General Post Office were keenly anticipated
The role of post offices everywhere has changed in the internet era, but in rural Britain they continue to provide essential services. Long may that continue

Cliff Buddle

Published: 2:15pm, 27 Jan 2024

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Visits to the post office are among my earliest memories of Hong Kong. Having arrived before the days of email, instant messaging and social media, snail mail provided a vital link with friends and relatives back in Britain.

Communication with my wife involved the lost art of letter writing. I have fond recollections of visits to the General Post Office to collect eagerly awaited correspondence from the Poste Restante counter.

Back in Britain, post offices provide essential services. The one at my local village shop is a lifesaver when I need to withdraw cash.

A very different side of the British Post Office, however, has dominated the news recently, thanks to a good old-fashioned television drama. The four-part series, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, tells the extraordinary story of a desperate battle for justice by sub-postmasters that has spanned 25 years.

Toby Jones stars as the title character (sixth from left) in “Mr Bates vs the Post Office”. Photo: ITV

More than 900 of them were wrongly convicted of false accounting, fraud or theft when blamed for shortfalls in their accounts. Some went to jail. As they suspected all along, the problem lay not with them, but a faulty computer system used by the Post Office.

The scandal has had a devastating impact on their lives and those of many others who, although not convicted, lost their jobs, homes and savings. At least four committed suicide.

Toby Jones as Alan Bates, who led a campaign for justice for sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of dishonesty, in “Mr Bates v the Post Office”. Photo: ITV

A marathon campaign by the dogged and determined Alan Bates, who galvanised fellow victims, led to a watershed court victory in 2019. Most of those who suffered, however, are still awaiting justice.

The television drama thrust the affair into the public spotlight. Faced with mounting pressure, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described it as “one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in the country’s history”. Legislation to overturn the convictions en masse and pay compensation is on the way. For the victims, this is too little, too late.

A public inquiry, which began in 2020, continues. Questions are, at last, being asked of politicians, Post Office executives and Japanese tech giant Fujitsu, provider of the flawed computer system. A police investigation has been launched.

There is a need to establish how this shocking injustice occurred, who is responsible for it and to ensure they are held to account. That should have been done long ago.

The General Post Office in Hong Kong’s Central district. Photo: May Tse

Post Offices around the world face challenges in the era of instant digital communication and competition from online delivery services. But I value my local branch, just as I did trips to the post office in Hong Kong.

Long may they continue to serve their respective communities and, for those in Britain, stay free from injustice.