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Traffic wardens: We face sack if we don’t meet target for fines
Benedict Moore-Bridger10 Oct 2008
A London council has been exposed by its own traffic wardens who claim they face the sack if they fail to hand out enough parking tickets.
Despite previously denying setting targets, Croydon council was accused by its employees of issuing “formal warnings” if hourly ticketing targets were not met.
The whistleblowers — agency contractors — revealed they were sent regular emails threatening them with disciplinary action if they didn't fine enough motorists.
The emails revealed how council bosses ordered wardens to issue a minimum of 15 tickets for a seven-hour shift on a normal day — a figure which doubled on bank holidays. One read: “Failure to meet the above targets on a weekly basis, without reasonable reason, will result in a formal warning being issued.”
The system has been branded “unfair” by workers. One employee, who did not wish to be named, said: “They have been giving targets all year. Everyone knows what's going on and they're not happy about it. Our jobs are meant to be about keeping the traffic flowing, making sure there are no blockages for motorists. But it makes you feel like a bad person because you're given the targets and you have to follow them.”
Another anonymous worker said: “We have to face
the public, and you get enough abuse without having to reach these targets. It's not fair on motorists, or us. They just want to make revenue.” Another said: “It means going to residential areas, looking for cars on streets where the lines are incorrectly painted, or faded.”
A council spokesman said they were setting “performance indicators”.
He added: “The council does not set targets for its civil enforcement officers. The council has outlined key performance indicators for penalty charge notices issued by agency staff, to enable them to qualify for overtime.”
