East Riding parking officers get body cameras after being attacked by motorists

Safety measures have been brought in by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to protect staff after more than 120 incidents in which some were left injured.

One officer was shot with a ball bearing gun and another suffered arm injuries when pushed into a fence.

In other incidents, officers were shouted at and threatened and even had cars driven at them.

The council said evidence showed that body cameras could claim confrontations down and prevent more serious incidents from happening.

Councillor John Barrett, the council’s portfolio holder for operational services, said: “We understand that people can sometimes get angry or frustrated at receiving a penalty charge notice, but that is no excuse for using abusive or violent behaviour towards our officers, who are just doing their job.

“We are equipping the officers with these new body cameras as a deterrent to stop these situations happening in the first place, and to make our staff feel safer as they go about their duties, as they often work alone.”

East Riding council said the cameras would cost cost £16,000 and would be paid for through income from parking charges and penalty charge notices.

Paul Tripp, Head of Streetscene Services, said: “Many authorities across the country are now using body cameras and they have proved extremely effective in reducing the number of incidents involving abusive and aggressive behaviour.

“But to be clear, this only involves a small minority of motorists. The vast majority of drivers are very respectful to our officers.”