Professional Recovery 370

PROFUPDATE
working independently amongst its own stakeholders. So that said,
apart from my crusade for red lights, which we will get! PROF has
been working with our strategic partners the NPCC, on Statutory
Fees, and also in my opinion the more important subject of Police
Contracts.
Increasing Statutory Fees has been a quagmire of confrontation,
delays, and bad luck. Unfortunately, an element of bad luck still
remains, the closer the Home Office has come to resolving the issue,
and getting their proposals put through governments, the quicker the
Government changes its leaders and its policies!
We have had, three Prime Ministers and three Transport Secretary’s
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since I met with Tracey Cattlain from the Home office in May and
again in September. My understanding from my recent meeting, is that
getting the Stat Fee increase proposals passed through governments
and implemented could realistically take until the spring of next
year. We had previously forecast the possibilities of changes being
implemented by this year end, who could have foreseen the madness
of the last two months?
Two things spring to mind, without the lobby to delay submissions
being accepted last year, the changes to Stat Fees would have been
done and implemented by now. So, some of the blame for that lays
closer to home than the Home Office.
Like with Green Flag, that news isn’t pretty but it’s the truth and
your being told the truth by PROF.
However, in my opinion which I’ve voiced on many occasions, Stat
Fee increases while much needed are small potatoes in comparison
to day to day Police Contracts.
I’ve been in the recovery industry for 44 years now, I started when I
was 5, not 19 like it says on my passport!
Every major VRO I can think of has been on a major police list
before the corporate parasites converted them Into police contracts!
Police contracts have been the life blood and the cornerstone of
many of the empires built in the recovery industry when dinosaurs
ruled the world!
Empires built on police contracts
Without Police Contracts, I doubt there would still be a recovery
industry. Back in the day, listening to police radios then racing to
pirate the jobs companies like Bells Breakdowns, Arcade, Chris Cox
used to fly the Jolly Roger. Queens Motors, Lion Autos, everyone but
Automania, because Charlie thought he was a real pirate!
Up in the North, SH, CF, and most of the AVRO council, in the
South, Boarhunt, National Rescue, McCallisters, in Wales, Walls, I could
go on and on. Empires built upon police contracts.
In my opinion the entire recovery industry was built on police
contracts, supplemented by club work. Owners drove Bentleys and
flew helicopters! Recovery truck builders bought boats, foreign
mansions, and personalities. Massive police contractors attracted
massive club contracts.
Premier recovery operators became so called super agents, doing
so well out of police contracts they began to undercut the rest of us
in our bread and butter. Then came the corporate organisations, no
longer the friendly clubs. We became contractors AA - Centrica RAC
- AVIVA National Breakdown - Direct Line, Britannia- LV, Mondial –
Allianz, Gesa Assistance, AXA.
The recovery industry missed the memo.
Between corporate parasites, management companies, and
motoring organisations selling policies that we are struggling to deliver,
this industry is in total demise!
Am I missing the point here giving a history lesson? No, because this
industries history begins with their last job!
Between myself and chosen representatives, PROF, has carried the
message to the police forces VIA, the NPCC and respective police
forces.
When I recently met with Chief Constable Jo Shiner, I was allowed
the opportunity to highlight all of the below bullet points. Jo Shiner
promised to review all of the points raised, not just by me, but Derek,
MAC, and Nick Ovenden. These points highlighted included - Free
storage – PACE – Disposal – Salvage.
Administration, 3rd party police contractors, Self serving insurance
companies and other ridiculous anomalies built into what basically boil
down to Club tenders! Not police contracts.
The word FREE, that only exists in the vocabulary of a VRO but is
part of the watershed crippling the recovery industry. Chief Constable
Shiner has been as good as her word, and a thorough review
incorporating all 43 police forces is now taking place.
To contribute to that review PROF has been asking Police
Contractors from across the UK, to list six points that they believe
would improve police contracts and make them more economically
viable going forward.
If I have not asked you and you want your say, then send me it on
your companies headed paper and I will include it with the others. I
am hopeful that this information will help to improve the economic
longevity of Police Contracts and its contractors.
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