Málaga Council has introduced a bonus system for the municipal towing (grua) service based on the number of vehicles towed in any given month, part of a new Mobility Ordinance which permits the removal of vehicles without the presence of police officers.
The new ‘express’ (grúa exprés) system allows for remote approval for the towing of offending vehicles with an operative taking a picture on a PDA (Personal Didigal Assistant). The police can then approve the tow request without having to actually be present at the scene. That is the theory, at least.
The new system has been in operation for about six weeks but has not led to an increase in the number of vehicle being towed. In fact, the whole towing process has slowed down because either the photo is, in many cases, unclear and it is not possible to see if there actually an infraction or there is a conflict with the offenders. In both cases, police presence is then required.
Defeats the object rather, making it a more costly exercise for less results.