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Frightened residents are hiding in their homes in Glen Eden following reports of an attack in the West Auckland suburb – with one terrified woman describing hearing “blood-curdling screams and gunshots” ringing out outside her home.At…

Australia Post will extend the trading hours of its post offices and offer a twilight delivery service in some locations as the national service is inundated with record parcel traffic.

With online shopping events like Black Friday just days away and COVID-19 continuing to separate families over Christmas, Australia Post says there are more parcels being ordered and delivered than ever before in history.

Each week the postal service is delivering more than 10 million parcels, with volumes in December expected to eclipse last year's record-breaking 52 million parcel week.

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From November 27 more than 380 Australia Post retail outlets will extend their trading hours, with the exact times dependent on your local office.

In Melbourne and Perth, posties and couriers will be delivering well into twilight in order to meet parcel demands.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Deliveries Rod Barnes said the service was "pulling out all the stops" to meet the unprecedented demand.

"In the last few weeks, we have recruited almost 300 drivers specifically to hit the roads after hours across Melbourne and Perth, and we expect our twilight service to help us deliver an additional 25,000 parcels per day in these two cities alone, so if you hear one of our drivers roll up perhaps just as you're getting home, don't be surprised," Mr Barnes said.

"Many of our Post Offices have also extended their opening times to provide our customers greater flexibility with their sending and receiving in the lead up to the big day."

READ MORE Onlookers film as violent kidnapping unfolds on Sydney street

Mr Barnes said Australia Post had been long preparing for a big Christmas, but the Delta strain lockdowns meant parcel volumes have been elevated for much of the year.

"We have invested in many areas to help increase our capacity, including chartering extra planes, putting more vehicles on the road, recruiting more than 5,000 new team members, and opening new permanent and temporary facilities to manage the volume," Mr Barnes said.

"This year's lockdowns across the country meant Australians were doing a lot more online shopping all at once, and in October we saw 5.7 million households shopping online, up almost 15 per cent on the previous year."

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Australia Post Christmas Delivery cut-off dates

To ensure Christmas gifts and cards arrive on time, Australia Post has set the following deadlines:

• All parcels sent via regular post must be sent by Monday, December 13
• All parcels sent via express post must be sent by Monday, December 20
• All Christmas cards should be sent by Monday December 20 or Thursday, December 16 if going interstate

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Police believe a suspected daylight kidnapping in Western Sydney is related to a fake vaccine certificate scam.

Confronting footage of the alleged kidnapping was released today which police said ended with a man being found with stab wounds hours later.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis said it was a targeted attack and could have been related to a fake vaccination certificate scam.

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"We believe this incident is a targeted attack and may relate to a fake vaccination certificate scam and related debts," he said.

Police allege there was an exchange of money in relation to the fake certificates and "that's where the debt is concerned".

Police described the incident as an "extremely violent and brazen attack" which is depicted from several angles on the newly released video, including CCTV and at least one onlooker's mobile phone.

"Kidnapping is happening," a man can be heard saying as several men appear to struggle by the side of a black Toyota Hilux. 

"They just kidnapped the guy."

Police said the 24-year-old man was walking along Rickard Street, Merrylands, when he was approached by five men, physically assaulted and forced into the rear of a white Toyota Hiace parked nearby, just after 4pm on September 18.

They said he was taken to a vacant unit at Auburn Road, Auburn and detained for several hours before a member of the public found him about 7pm at Wellington Road, Birrong, with a stab wound to the shoulder.

In a series of videos, in addition to the Hiace with NSW plates BK59LG and Hilux with plates AMEBLD, a black Toyota CH-R thought to be driven by an associate of the victim can be seen driving along the street at speed.

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​​Video shows the car smashing into a boat and careering down the road backwards after police say one of the men struck it with a baton.

Robbery and Serious Crime Squad detectives want information about all three vehicles, none of which have been recovered. 

"This is an extremely violent and brazen attack that occurred on a suburban Sydney street on a Saturday afternoon," Detective Superintendent Koutsoufis said.

"This kind of behaviour has no place in our community and these men must be brought to account. We believe this was a targeted attack and appeal to the public for any information that may assist detectives.

"Inquiries suggest that the occupant of the black Toyota C-HR, with NSW registration plates EBJ43A, is known to the injured man and would have information crucial to this investigation."

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Police said the Hiace driver was of medium build and last seen wearing a black hooded jumper, red shorts and black running shoes.

The front passenger was of solid build and wearing a black jumper with a grey hood and red lettering on the sleeve, black track pants and pale-coloured joggers.

The other passenger was of large build, wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, black track pants, black running shoes and carrying an expandable baton.

In the Hilux, the driver was wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, black track pants and black joggers and the passenger was wearing a black baseball cap, black hooded jumper, grey track pants and black joggers with white and red soles, police said.

They were all described as Mediterranean or Middle Eastern in appearance.

The victim has been released from Liverpool Hospital, where he was taken for treatment.

December 15 is D-Day for the Ranga Tupua iwi collective as it scrambles to protect vulnerable communities in the central plateau, Rangitīkei, South Taranaki and Whanganui against Covid-19.On December 15, Aucklanders will be…