Cameras aid war on parking thugs

MOTORISTS who intimidate, abuse or assault council traffic wardens in Leeds could in future find themselves caught on camera.

Last year alone there were 172 recorded incidents of violence or intimidation towards Leeds City Council's parking enforcement officers –a figure the council finds "unacceptable", said a spokesman.

Some officers are now policing the parking in Leeds with shoulder-mounted miniature cameras on their jackets, designed to deter aggressive behaviour and ensure vital evidence of it is captured.

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Recently the council has prosecuted three people for assaulting traffic wardens.

It is using the 10 cameras in the areas with the highest number of incidents recorded and, since they were introduced, there has so far been a 48 per cent reduction in reported incidents compared with the same months last year.

The cameras are not operating permanently and are only switched on when the officer feels threatened.

A council spokesman said: "The footage is not used for any other purpose and the recordings are deleted every day unless they need to be kept for further action, such as a referral to police.

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"Evidence from the cameras has been handed over to the police for further action on two occasions."

The spokesman declined to say how much had been spent on the new gadgets.

The 10 cameras have been issued to parking wardens working in Harehills and around Kirkgate Market/Millgarth in the city centre, the two areas which have seen the largest number of incidents.

One parking officer, who asked not to be named, said angry motorists usually backed off and calmed down when they were told a video camera was recording them.

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"When we get into a volatile situation or are feeling threatened, we activate the camera and tell the person that they are being recorded," the warden said.

"Usually they back off or quieten down. If we catch someone on a bad day and give them a fine they just blow up. But generally it's not that bad.

"You are giving them a 30 fine; it's not the person they are having a go at, it's the uniform, not you personally."

Leeds Council's executive board member for environmental enforcement, James Monaghan, said the cameras were being used as a "last resort" in problem areas of the city.

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"The council considers the safety of its staff incredibly important and this is just a device to help them feel more secure when they're out doing the job that they're employed to do."

He added: "They are just doing their jobs and deserve protection. These cameras are a last resort for problem areas in the city but I think they send out a strong message that physical abuse of our staff is unacceptable, regardless of people's motivations."

Traffic wardens in Salford were thought to be the first in the country to get video cameras back in 2007. The mini cameras have helped staff resolve disputes over tickets and prosecute motorists who assault or abuse staff.

Since the Salford experiment, several local authorities across the country decided to use the devices, including Bromley, Scarborough and Bolton.

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Salford found that assaults dropped 30 per cent after its head cameras were brought in.

The cameras were recently introduced in Anglesey, the first council in Wales to use them.

Similar devices are also being used by NHS trusts, including Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to combat violence against staff, patients and visitors.