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RRRA predicts end of police recovery rotas
Page 12
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by Guy Sheppard A battle to stop police forces awarding exclusive vehicle recovery rights to selected companies should be won within 12 months, say campaigners.
The 500-member Road Rescue Recovery Association (RRRA) claims that companies managing recovery work on behalf of police forces charge above the market rate because they enjoy a local monopoly.
According to RRRA chief executive Mike Eagles, this sometimes adds thousands of pounds to the cost of vehicle recovery.
"Over the next year I believe there will be a much fairer system to the public in place where county variations will no longer be applicable and complaints procedures will be much more direct," he says.
Eagles' belief that the campaign is close to oeing won is based on several forthcoming developments which include:
IN A meeting between Lancashire Police, local silPs and the RR RA today (Thursday, 31May); II The publication next month of a report by the
district auditor on the running of the recovery contract in Gwent; • Court action next month by six RRRA members against Staffordshire Police and SHL, the com pany which manages its vehicle recovery work.
Eagles says a major breakthrough was achieved last month (April) when Junior Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth stated in a letter: "Following a road accident a police force should always give the vehicle owner an opportunity to make his or her own vehicle recovery arrangements." Eagles says this is the first time the Home Office has conceded this right.
Lancashire Police, one of the forces receiving most criticism from the RRRA, denies that vehicle owners lose out from its management scheme.
A spokeswoman for the force says: "Charges for removal of all classes of vehicle are regulated by the government—we have absolutely no control over that. All garages on our scheme follow the legal requirement with regard to the pricing of recovering vehicles. We have no evidence of anyone over-charging."