To crack down on unauthorised or illegal parking, Shimla police is working on the idea of Vehicle Clamps. Shimla police said that when a vehicle is towed away by the police, owners need to visit the nearby traffic police. However, in this case they will not need to run from pillar to post looking for their vehicles.
The wheel clamp, originally known as the auto immobiliser, was invented in 1944 and patented in 1958 by Frank Marugg. The police department needed a solution to a growing parking enforcement problem as Police used to tow all ticketed cars to the pound, where they were often vandalised. Owners sued the city for the damage and the police had to itemise everything in the cars. Police Department thought an immobiliser would avoid the expensive towing problem and approached Marugg with an idea on how to immobilise a vehicle. The Denver police first used the wheel boot on 5 January 1955.
