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Prohibition fuels recovery rota row

28th February 2002
Page 8
Page 8, 28th February 2002 — Prohibition fuels recovery rota row
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• by Guy Shepherd

Lancashire police have launched an investigation after a breakdown operator the force uses for recovery work had a vehicle prohibited during a motorway cat-out.

Birmingham-based Recovery Management Services has run the Lancashire police contract since 1997; it also works for the Cumbria and North Yorkshire forces. J Boardman Garages of Lancaster works as a contractor for RMS is Lancashire.

A police statement says officers spotted defects on the vehicle belonging to Boardman while a trailer was being recovered from the M6 earlier this month. The vehicle will only be allowed back on the road after the defects have been put right and our inspectors are satis

fied that it is safe," the statement adds.

RMS MD David Marks says police asked the Vehicle Inspectorate to examine Boardman's vehicle after noticing its number plate had fallen off "Its the first time anything like this has happened," he stresses. Marks adds that his company put the Lancashire police recovery work out to tender but all applicants had to meet certain criteria.

"There are a number of disgruntled garages that would like to see the scheme opened up again." he says, pointing out that other contractors are used for police work if Boardman's fleet is overstretched.

MD John Boardman was unavailable for comment.

But rival operators in the North-West claim the incident highlights the current problems with police-organised breakdown work in the county.

Peter Yates of Carnforthbased J Yates 86 Son says Boardman covers far too large an area for a single operator in the north-west of Lancashire. He believes that handing over management of all the force's recovery contracts to a single company reduces accountability • A report Into alleged mismanagement of a police recovery contract in South Wales is expected by the end of March. District auditor Paul Griffiths, who carried out the investigation following complaints from the public and local recovery operators, says: -There will be some recommendations in the report the police will have to respond to publicly."


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