Skip workers don body cameras after threats

Staff facing verbal and physical abuse from angry members of the public

Angus skip site workers are being kitted out with body cameras amid fears of an escalation in aggressive incidents at the sites.

Recycling centre workers have been subjected to threats or violence by angry customers, many objecting to being challenged over charges for commercial dumping.

Council chiefs now fear reduced opening hours, longer queues and tighter controls, including a proposed ban on trailers more than six-foot-long at local centres, will put them at greater risk of intimidation or worse.

Angus is also to consider a household waste tip permit to control commercial vans visiting sites, after a similar move by neighbouring Dundee City Council led to a “significant” increase in cross-border skip site traffic.

Skip site staff are being issued with body cameras as a protective measure against angry customers.

Angus Council chiefs fear staff could be subjected to rising aggression with the implementation of new rules at county dumps.

They say workers already suffer abuse and the body cams will be brought in alongside other measures at recycling centres, where reduced operating hours are on the horizon.

Officials admit shorter opening hours will lead to increased congestion and more queuing for skip site users.

They say the body cameras could offer an additional layer of protection to staff who already have to put up with unacceptable behaviour.

A report to be presented to councillors states: “The enforcement of site rules, such as requirement of prepaid voucher by commercial customers, at recycling centres can lead to strong opposition from customers and occasionally to employees being subject to acts of aggression towards them.

“This might be exacerbated by the additional rules and new opening hours to be implemented.

“To address this and introduce an added control measure to mitigate the risk of violence and aggression towards staff, body cameras will be worn by employees based at recycling centres.

“These will be visible to customers and can be switched on by staff to record when there is a perceived risk of violence and aggression towards them.”

Angus will also look closely at following its Dundee City Council neighbour, which introduced a household waste permit in July, requiring anyone with a van or trailer to register for the free permit which allows a dozen visits per year.

Local officers say the Dundee move has led to a “significant increase” in

“These will be visible to customers and can be switched on by staff to record when there is a perceived risk of violence

commercial vans visiting Angus centres.

“It is difficult to effectively police this as many customers claim to be using commercial vans for disposal of their own household waste,” adds the report.

The member/officer group which carried out a recent review of centre use identified several areas of concerns, leading to an immediate ban on pedestrian access to the district’s recycling centres and ending the practice of users being able to tip the contents of wheelie bins into skips.

Waste management chiefs have now drafted tighter rules over the size of trailers which can enter skip sites, suggesting a 6ft limit is applied from the end of the month, when the new opening hours will come into place at all sites except Kirriemuir and Forfar.

The plans are due to be rubber stamped at a full council meeting tomorrow.

gbrown@thecourier.co.uk

It is shocking that recycling centre staff in Angus should have to be equipped with body cameras as part of their uniform. The technology is better known for its use among police officers – front line law enforcers whose job it is to put themselves in danger to protect the public and gather evidence to use against dangerous criminals in court.

In an ideal world, those who ensure rubbish is placed in the correct skips should have no need of them.

But such is the pace of life and the rage among those who do not get their own way, they are deemed a necessary tool in Angus.

If they prove effective in cutting violence and bringing those who perpetrate it to justice, it is likely other local authorities will follow suit.

Cameras are also used by traffic wardens and parking attendants, rail staff and other public servants, none of whom should be forced to put up with the type of abuse they receive on a daily basis.

It is another cost to the public purse which could be better spent elsewhere.

The positive, if there is one, is that the cameras will help convict those who insist on abusing others going about their jobs.

And it may cause people to take a breath and think about the consequences of their actions before their behaviour degenerates.