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o ice p an to stop heavy load escorts
Page 7
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Private escorts for abnormal leads could become the norm if recommendations from the Association of Chief Police Officers ( ACP0) are taken up by forces around the country.
ACPO has scheduled a meeting with Home Mice Minister John Denham on 6 March to push forward its proposals. Jon Bond, who deals with abnormal load issues for ACPO, stresses: "If the Home Office won't make this happen then the police service will anyway.
"The police service has already passed the proposal for motorway and dual carriageway escorts to the Home Mee. but our position is now much wider and we would like to see third parties used on all road movements." He adds that the police would still be used if traffic laws needed to be broken.
Lord Attlee, president of the Heavy Transport Association, believes that heavy hauliers should be able to provide their own in-house escorts. but with the poke still used as an option: "Some operators will have slight anxiety about not having a police car there but I don't think those fears are well-founded."
He adds that operating efficiency will also benefit: "Being able to move loads at antisocial times would be a great commercial advantage."
Clive Powell, abnormal loads officer with Bristol-based Kings Heavy Haulage, says: This is an excellent move—we should have no district boundary problems waiting for police, and so no delays."
However, Mark Range, commercial director at Range International Haulage, says that the police should still be involved, particularly for urban movements in the interest of road safety.
• See Sound Off 7-13 March for Mark Range's views.