Contractors and police at odds in Newfoundland as search for ‘backhoe bandits’ continues

As the hunt for Newfoundland’s so-called “backhoe bandits” continues, some contractors are taking umbrage at calls from officials to better secure heavy equipment on job sites.Robert Crowley said someone stole a $400,000 front-end loader from his construction site and used it to smash into a nearby bank in Holyrood, N.L., last month. However, he was incensed when the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary responded to another bank robbery this month – aided by a stolen excavator – by asking contractors to install more locks and alarms on their machinery.