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Beware of the 'pseudo police'
Page 14
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A critic of anti-truck crime policies has warned against channelling resources into TruckVVatch instead of the police.
CHRIS KELLY, a member of the government-backed Joint Action Group on LorryTheft (JAGOLT), says there are already far too may "pseudo police organisations" whose performance and coststructure are difficult to measure.
his warning follows the disclosure that a non-profit making company based in Sheffield could be asked to expand TruckWatch nationally instead of resources going into TruckPol, formerly known as the National Stolen Lorry Load Desk (CM15 July).
The company maintains a database of truck drivers' phone numbers for South Yorkshire Police to use when seeking help to find stolen trucks and loads.
But Kelly, who is also chairman of West Midlands-based Scania dealership Keltruck, warns that expansion would only blur the boundaries of who is actually responsible for police work:"Why set up a completely separate quango with different standards if police are still there doing the job? If government has got funds washing around, these funds should go to the police."
• Last week (23 July), Kelly resigned from the West Midlands Freight Quality Partnership (FOP), describing it as a waste of time. FQPs are a government. hacked initiative to try to balance the demands of road freight with environmental and social needs.
Kelly says local authorities are failing to send officials of sufficient calibre to the meetings:"Little girls who have just joined the council are sent instead and, given what they know about freight,it is unfair to put them in that position."
Pat Maddersou, chair of the West Midlands FQP, declined to comment on Kelly's resignation. But Colin Hagan, Midlands' ETA regional policy manager, says: "If he had not walked out he would have seen a lot of positive things discussedidonIthinklkweattended anything where you would not wish for things to happen a bit quicker but all gatherings are a bitlike that."