APPENDIX 28
Memorandum submitted by the Association
of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Thank you for your letter dated 15 December
2005 regarding Parking Policy and Enforcement.
As Head of the Road Policing Business Area,
I would like to add the following comments to the questions you
have raised.
At the time of the introduction of decriminalised
parking, ACPO was fully supportive of the principle, in that it
provided an opportunity to free resources for what was not perceived
to be a key activity for police. Indeed, ACPO actively encouraged
Chief Constables to seek to introduce decriminalised parking in
their force areas.
On 6 October 2004, Mr J W Giffard, Chief Constable
of Staffordshire Police and the ACPO Policing Bureaucracy Steering
Group lead, wrote to all Chief Constables and Commissioners in
England and Wales. In the letter he pointed out that decriminalisation
was one of the recommendations of the Bureaucracy Task Force and
encouraging them to work with local authorities to achieve this.
However, support of a Chief Constable for the
principle of decriminalised parking does not guarantee its introduction
if the local authority does not wish to seek the necessary powers
from the Secretary of State.
In relation to your specific questions I have
the following comments:
Would the police service welcome the roll-out
of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement across the country?
ACPO fully supported the principle at the time
of its inception and has no reason to change that view given the
obvious resource benefits to be achieved.
To what extent does the police service prioritise
enforcement of parking contravention?
Whilst ACPO acknowledges that illegal parking
is often highlighted by the public as a cause for concern, Chief
Constables have to balance such concerns against other competing
priorities, particularly those against which the performance of
their forces are measured. Clearly, such competing priorities
will often take precedence. Parking enforcement has not been identified
as a priority in either the National Policing Plan; the Police
Performance Assessment Framework; the HMIC Road Policing Baseline
Assessment model; or the ACPO Road Policing Strategic Assessment.
Does the police service hold figures on the level
of parking enforcement and the number of parking contraventions
in those areas still under police control?
No, the police service does not hold this data
centrally. Individual force areas keep records of fixed penalties
issued. This data is provided to the Home Office for publication
in the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin Motoring Offences
and Breath Test Statistics England and Wales, available on
the Home Office website at http://uk.sitestat.com/homeoffice/homeoffice/s?rds.hosb0605pdf&ns_type=pdf&ns_url=
%5Bhttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb0605.pdf%5D
Is the police service satisfied with the level
and quality of parking enforcement carried out on the behalf of
police by traffic wardens?
In those forces in which local authorities have
not sought decriminalised parking powers, enforcement will be
carried out by traffic wardens employed by police. They will therefore
be subject to local police management and it will be a matter
for each chief constable to ensure that the necessary supervision
is effective. ACPO has no information on the quality of parking
enforcement carried out by police employed traffic wardens.
Has the police service made assessments of the
number of illegal parking acts that take place in areas under
police operation; and the impact on the economy, safety and traffic
flow of these events?
No. This is an issue for individual Chief Constables.
Is the police service comfortable with the fact
that two different parking enforcement regimes are in operation
in the UK; police enforcement and decriminalised local authority
enforcement?
ACPO fully supports decriminalised enforcement
but it is a matter for local authorities to decide whether or
not to seek the necessary powers. No Chief Constables have raised
concerns with ACPO.
To what extent is there coordination and exchange
of best practice between police parking wardens and local authority
parking attendants?
The answer to this question will vary from area
to area and ACPO has no knowledge of the situation nationally.
Is the police service satisfied that local authority
enforcement teams are carrying out parking enforcement correctly
and appropriately?
ACPO has no role is assessing the performance
of local authority employees.
What training does the police service give its
parking wardens? Would the police welcome the requirement for
a national qualification for parking wardens if this was also
introduced for parking attendants?
There is no standardised package for traffic
warden training; each individual force decides the content. I
have no doubt that the introduction of a requirement for a national
qualification for parking wardens would encourage forces to actively
seek the involvement of local authorities in the scheme and might
result in more local authorities seeking powers from the Secretary
of State. Without a full consultation of the relevant forces,
I am unable to say whether the police service would welcome such
a development or not.
Is it significant that drivers wishing to appeal
a parking charge go to the Magistrates' Court in criminalised
parking systems and to an independent Parking Adjudicator under
the decriminalised regime?
It is significant and the reason behind the
original proposal which ACPO supported and continues to support.
18 January 2006
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