Traffic wardens to be given head cams

Anglesey County Council is trailing the head-mounted video camera in order to give wardens evidence should an encounter with a motorist turn nasty.

Two motorists were recently fined for verbally abusing parking officers during incidents in Llangefni and Holyhead and the authority says its team of wardens endures a daily torrent of threatening behaviour.

Angleseys head of highways Dewi Williams said that if successful the cameras will be given to every member of his parking enforcement team.

He added, The authority will certainly press for firm action from the police and courts against those who abuse, threaten or attack a member of the parking enforcement team.

But AA Public Affairs spokesman Luke Bosdet warned equipping wardens with cameras may inflame already tense situations.

He said enforcement teams should instead use their discretion over minor infringements.

The whole idea of parking enforcement is to maintain the flow into and out of car parking spaces and to use discretion where discretion is probably better.

Now if theres greater pressure on the wardens to issue tickets for minor problems then all theyre doing is raising the pressure.

Some drivers, particularly if theyre up against it time wise, may explode.