Recovery men march
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by Juliet Morrison • The organiser of a convoy of 17 recovery trucks which brought Maidstone town centre to a halt in protest at new police contracts has threatened to step up the action.
Since the protest on Saturday 14 January organiser Paul Collins, who formerly ran Canterburybased Midas Recovery, says he has been contacted by other disgruntled recovery men throughout the country.
Now he is threatening to stage a much larger event: "If motoring clubs are allowed to continue to walk over the rota system," he says, "there could be 60 trucks on the next demonstration." The two-hour protest was backed by at least 10 operators, most of whom have lost valuable income since last August when the police appointed the AA to act as its recovery agent. The group claims that the AA unfairly selected about 20 operators for the work, which was previously handled by more than 100 firms on a rota. system.
The AA says it used independent assessors to select the companies (CM 11-17 August 1994).
Some of the protesters face prosecution for traffic offences, which police say they witnessed as the convoy wound its way through the town centre. The case has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service which will decide whether it is in the public's interest to prosecute. At 19:30hrs tonight ( 26 January), BBC 2 is screening a documentary, First Sight, on police contracting out the management of recovery work.
• The Kent recovery operators which took part in the protest are: Alan Smith Motors at New Romney; Auto Renovations at Strood; P&D Barwick at Swanley; Blackman Motors at Biddenden; Brooksend Service Station at Thanet; E&S Commercials at Northfleet; Junction 5 Recovery at Maidstone; Kent Motor Services at Whitstable; Mailing Repair Service at Maidstone; G&E Nevkery &Sons at Faversham.