stolen/lost coins! thieving postman!

Being ex law enforcement myself, I have a theory. If the crime were discovered an hour, day or even week later then the perpetrator would be understandably worried, because it would be relatively easy to trace who was where and working which shifts etc., but with most lost/stolen mail cases not being investigated until perhaps 2-3 months after the 'disappearance', the individual(s) concerned would be more inclined to think they could get away with it, as after a month or so who knows/remembers which worker dealt with what? I would have hoped that every mail batch would be tracked and coded and allocated to whoever handles it, as is the case with evidence from a crime, but I doubt it is. (with crime scene evidence, every time someone handles a piece of evidence or hands it on to someone else, a statement is written and continuity is preserved...if continuity breaks down, its enough for someone to walk free)
I know customs declarations are there for a reason and its all well and good people saying, just write metal disc or token on the form, but with value also written on it its no wonder is it? My envelope sent said (Roman coin, value £350!)suprise, suprise, its gone!

 

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Customs declarations are for the information of the recipient country, I never declare the full value of an item, it is not a crime to do so and you won`t be carted off on an arrest warrant.for a crime in another country, there are no records of anyone being prosecuted for lying on a customs form.
I would have written Numismatic Item with a value of £2, not worth the risk to a thief.

 

I worry that by putting incorrect information I am being dishonest to Customs and also not covered in the event that the envelope turns up minus coin?

 

How would you ever know who took it though or that they did? All you know is that it never arrived.

 

I don`t worry, the only customs that will see your envelope are the recipients country.
Royal Mail cover your package by the amount you tell them it is worth, not what is written on the customs form..
In 9 years on eBay I have only had about 6 international transactions go missing and all were sent without tracking, the countries involved were USA, Norway,France, Italy, UAE, and the last one was India.
I refunded all except India as Paypal found in my favour after discovering the buyer submitted a INR on every purchase he was making, he was a thief.
The Italy buyer was also a thief but I could not prove it, however he got the shock of his life when I knocked on his door 4 months later while driving past his home on my way to Greece, I must have left a lasting impression on him as he was shaking when I left and he is now NARU

 

I would have paid to see this guys face...Kudos Dave, Kudos!