Vancouver police promise towing crackdown
CBC News
Posted: Nov 30, 2011 9:05 PM PT
Last Updated: Nov 30, 2011 9:01 PM PT
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Vancouver police are promising a crackdown of dangerous towing practices after a CBC News investigation found some tow truck drivers are towing vehicles that are not adequately secured, in violation of the province's safety regulations.
The City of Vancouver is also reviewing its contract with Busters Towing, after video from a concerned citizen showed their drivers picking up and towing cars without strapping the wheels in place or chaining the vehicles to their trucks.
The towing company is in the middle of a five-year contract with the city to remove illegally-parked cars or cars seized for driving violations from the city streets.
Const. Lindsey Houghton said the police will now be on the lookout for violators.
"This is something that was brought to our attention in the past 24 hours and we've been proactively following up with Busters," he said.
"We've let our officers in our traffic unit know, and they'll be looking to enforce compliance if we see non-compliance."
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson questioned whether the unsafe towing practices revealed by CBC News complied with the terms of the city's agreement with Busters, which can be terminated if laws are broken.
"There are commitments within that contract around operations, and I would assume that city staff would take those next steps to make sure everything's being done according to that agreement," he said.
Busters Towing told CBC News that the investigation "graphically brought home the issue." The company says it does not condone unsafe towing practices and will take action against drivers if necessary.
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