Body cameras for Porirua parking wardens 'timely' after attack

Parking wardens are getting body cameras to help protect them from the public. Photo/file

Porirua parking wardens and animal control officers will now be equipped with body cameras, though they have to warn the public when they're turning them on.

The "timely" announcement comes less than a week after a Wellington parking warden was allegedly beaten unconscious by a member of the public outside a primary school.

Porirua City Council staff were being trained and equipped with the cameras this week, said James Jefferson, the council's general manager for policy planning and regulatory services.

The cameras will not run at all times, however. Staff must manually turn them on and tell the public when they're doing so.

"This feels particularly timely following the horrendous attack on a Wellington City Council parking warden last week," he said.

"Like that officer, our staff are decent, hardworking men and women who are just trying to serve this community, making it a better place to live and work in, and they deserve to feel safe while they're doing that."

The cameras are available for the council's three monitoring and compliance officers, who carry out a range of duties including parking, and three animal control officers.

They are designed to minimise the risk of harm to staff and the public, by encouraging positive behaviour and interactions, Jefferson said.

"Unfortunately there are times when council officers can be faced with verbal abuse, threats and physical assaults, so we want to do everything we can to keep our people safe.

"The cameras can provide an accurate record of events if there's an incident that needs to be investigated, as well as giving us information about the nature and severity of interactions with the public."

Council will make sure the cameras don't unreasonably intrude on people's privacy, Jefferson said.

"The cameras only record footage when manually turned on by officers and the public must be told they're being switched on. Footage will only be held for the reasons described above, in line with the NZ Privacy Act 1993."

The man accused of assaulting the Wellington parking officer had his first appearance in court this morning, before a registrar.

Rawiri James Emery was remanded without plea to April 30.