Local authorities push for bodycams to protect abused traff ic wardens
Longford give staff PPE and IT kit under new Covid-19 rules
LONGFORD is the latest county in which traffic wardens will wear body cameras because of aggressive behaviour from disgruntled motorists.
The Midlands council announced this week that its wardens will wear cameras from July 1 after staff were subjected to verbal abuse, threatened with violence and assaulted.
The local authority claims the cameras, which will be turned on if a situation looks like it is escalating, will enhance the wardens’ health and safety and could also assist in the resolution of complaints.
A spokeswoman for Longford County Council said the move is part of the restarting of parking enforcement in the town.
‘Under Covid-19 Health and Safety guidelines the traffic wardens will be provided with appropriate PPE and body-worn CCTV cameras will be issued,’ she said. ‘They are for the sole purpose of protecting their personal safety in the event of conflict situations in the course of executing their duties.’
Asked whether their use will breach privacy laws, she said they will comply with GDPR legislation.
‘Data collected from the cameras during the day will be downloaded onto a secure network drive and kept in compliance with GDPR guideline limits.’ The spokeswoman added that it was mandatory for staff to wear the cameras but that they were all agreeable.
Longford county councillor Gerry Warnock said the introduction of bodycams was a reflection of the actions of a small section of society.
‘The cameras have become necessary to deal with the minority who have no regard for any rules,’ the Independent councillor said.
In Laois, wardens already wear cameras ‘and will activate the camera where it is deemed necessary in accordance with Laois County Council’s guidance and procedures on the use of body-worn cameras by traffic wardens’, according to the council’s website.
Wardens in Waterford have also adopted the technology. ‘From a health and safety perspective, to reduce the risk of violence/aggression towards traffic wardens, they wear a bodyworn camera as part of their uniform,’ the council states.
Privately contracted wardens in Lucan, west Dublin, have worn the cameras since 2018 after complaints about the enforcement ‘ethos’, but some councillors raised concerns.
Civil rights campaigners have described the decision to issue wardens with cameras as ‘deeply questionable’.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties warned the use of cameras could infringe on privacy rights. Executive director Liam Herrick said: ‘Given that the gardaí are also in an extensive process of evaluating whether bodycams are necessary, or indeed proportionate to the risks faced by gardaí daily, it’s deeply questionable how such a measure can be justified for traffic wardens.’
‘The cameras will enhance wardens’ health and safety’ nicola.byrne@mailonsunday.ie