As of January 1 next year all wreckers approved to tow vehicles on behalf of the police will have special stickers affixed, Acting Deputy Police Commissioner, Glenmure Hinds, announced Wednesday.

The move however will not apply to wrecker companies used by the Transport Authority or the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC) to remove illegally parked vehicles.

“No, they (KSAC and the traffic authority) will have to make their own arrangements as it relates to the wrecker companies that they are using. The stickers are for those units that are authorised and are being used by police,” Hinds told Auto yesterday.

According to Hinds stickers with the words, ‘Approved to tow on behalf of the police – 2010’ will be placed on the front and back of only wreckers used by the police, for easy identification.

The initiative will be rolled out islandwide.

“We have listened to persons who have called in, many have asked us to make identification of these wreckers easier for members of the public,” Hinds said at a press conference held at the Commissioner’s Office in St Andrew.

“These identification stickers will also carry the year in which approval is granted by the relevant authorities along with the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) logo,” he added.

Privately owned wreckers are routinely employed by the traffic authority and KSAC to impound vehicles parked in no-parking zones or by the police to sieze vehicles found to be in contravention of road traffic laws.

While Hinds could not give a definite number, he said that several wrecker companies have already registered with the police for the new stickers.

Motorists will, however, still have to contend with unmarked wreckers removing illegally parked vehicles as neither the Transport Authority nor the KSAC have confirmed any changes in their operation.

Admitting that the wreckers used by Transport Authority have no identification marks manager of communications and customer service Petra-Kene Williams told Auto that a streamlined process of selection has been in place for a long time.

“All the wreckers that we ulilise must meet specific criteria prior to us engaing their services,” Williams said.

“What we have is an appproved list of wreckers and their prescribed fees, our next step will be to distribute that at our offices … We dont have a sticker in place right now,” she added.

In August, an Observer story exposed the usage of tow trucks or wreckers in the theft of motorvehicles especially in the Corporate Area.

The Observer probe revealed that the criminals — whether or not a vehicle is parked illegally — towed away motorcars to unknown locations where they would scrap, spray paint, or tamper with engine and chassis numbers.

“Hopefully the (sticker) initiative will make motorist more aware of the wreckers which are authorised to work on behalf of the police, and they (motorists) will be able to make the necessary reports to the police should such an incident occur,” Hinds said.

Police employ wreckers to tow vehicles for a wide array of offences, Hinds said. These include: where vehicles are parked in no parking areas, parked in a way that it is obstructing traffic; is found not to have the relevant road licence or registration, or without insurance.