LETTER OF THE DAY - Collusion between cops, wrecker operators?
Published:Sunday | June 2, 2013 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
This is an open letter to the minister of national security, the minister of transport and works, the Collector of Taxes, the Fair Trading Commission, and the mayor of Kingston.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2013, I was stopped in a routine traffic check on King Street by members of the police force. My licence disc had expired and my motor car was impounded.
I bear responsibility for my negligence in this regard, but I have a major concern in relation to what could be evidence of corruption with respect to the removal of my vehicle to the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) impound lot and the attendant costs for this service.
I was stopped at the top of King Street, adjacent to the bus terminus. The police officer called the wrecker driver from his personal cellular phone and within five minutes he was on the scene and my vehicle was loaded on to the truck. Within three minutes, the vehicle was on the KSAC lot which was approximately two streets away. I was told this service would cost me $5,000.
The next day when I went to collect the vehicle, I was told in confidence by someone else on the scene that had I been fortunate enough to be towed by a wrecker from another company, I would have saved $1,500 because those wreckers charge only $3,500 for a trip to the same KSAC lot from the King Street location.
However, the company that removed my vehicle charges roughly 40 per cent more for the same service, allegedly because the policeman who calls in the request receives these additional monies as a gratuity payment from the wrecker operator.
I cannot speak to the validity of these claims of corruption, as shocking as they are, but if they are to be believed, it is further evidence of collusion between state agents and private individuals in the name of 'hustling'.
At the end of this ordeal, I have several questions I would like addressed:
1. Why is there not a fare stage listing instead of what appears to be a flat rate for wrecker services?
2. Why is the rate for the private wrecker company used by the police so disproportionately high?
3. Is this transaction governed by the Fair Trading Commission, and if so, do I have redress for an uncompetitive price?
4. Is it appropriate for a policeman to use his personal mobile phone to conduct government business?
5. Are these tow truck companies tax compliant?
6. Why was GCT not reflected on my receipt?
7. What document did the policeman sign when the wrecker arrived to collect my vehicle and why was I not privy to this document?
8. Why was my vehicle's condition not inspected before it was removed by the wrecker?
9. Would I have been compensated if there was found to be any damage to my vehicle that came about after it came into the possession of the private wrecker company and/or the KSAC?
10. Can police officers contract with private individuals to receive payments for the provision of services to the Government?
I would greatly appreciate if these issues could be clarified, as this experience has left me seriously distressed about the state of governance in my country.
URIEL WHITE