Abusive motorists caught on traffic wardens' spy cameras
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by Thom Morris
Video cameras have been fitted to traffic wardens to
film angry motorists who get a parking ticket.
Following a rise in abuse towards Ashford's wardens
- now branded Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) - it was
decided to fit them with cameras to catch abusers on film.
Wardens, who earn up to £17,500 a year, wear the spy cams
on their uniforms and will only switch them on when a person
becomes abusive.
Ashford council's parking manager John Burns said: "The cameras
have been introduced in direct response to a recent rise in the
number of incidents of abuse towards CEOs in the borough, and serve
as an additional health and safety measure for our officers.
"The majority of people who receive a penalty charge notice for
a parking contravention, perhaps cross and annoyed, deal with the
matter calmly and rationally.
"Unfortunately, there are always some who want to take out their
aggression on our officers who are just doing their job. This does
sometimes escalate into very serious abuse or even an assault."
The recordings can then be handed over to police if an
investigation is launched.
Late last year, a council report revealed the 10 Ashford wardens
handed out 12,449 fines across the borough between April 2010 and
March 2011.
Of those, 7,665 people were clobbered with a fine for parking on
the streets while 4,784 were caught without a valid parking ticket
in car parks.
In total, £290,000 was raised by issuing penalty notices on the
borough's streets and in council-run car parks.
Ashford
council says footage caught on the cameras will never be used to
obtain evidence for penalty charge notices.
Mr Burns added: "We understand that no one who receives a
penalty charge notice is happy about it, but if you think it was
issued unjustly or incorrectly and believe that it should be
cancelled, you can submit your reasons, in writing, to the
council.
"Being abusive and violent towards a CEO will get you nowhere
other than the police station."
Friday, February 10 2012
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