Parking officers face ‘daily abuse’: one had a dozen eggs thrown at him

A parking officer in Peterborough told his city council bosses of the day he had “twelve eggs thrown at me all at once.

“I had to have a shower at work because the eggs were all in my hair. If we talked to people like they do sometimes we would get reported for it.”

His experience is being used by the city council to raise awareness of its parking team and the abuse they can face.

A council spokesperson said that “21 serious cases of abuse were reported by parking officers last year, including physical attacks, spitting and even death threats.

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“The council is working tirelessly to educate motorists on safe parking practices and protecting the public from dangerous parking”.

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Peterborough City Council says that “21 serious cases of abuse were reported by parking officers last year, including physical attacks, spitting and even death threats”.

Adam Payton, the council’s community safety neighbourhood manager – parking, said: “It is completely unacceptable that our parking officers who are working hard to educate motorists across the city continue to face abuse.

“We want to raise awareness of their work and what they have to put up with in the hope that residents can treat our parking officers with respect.

“They are working to keep this city safe and deserve to be treated with respect.”

Coincidentally last November, Cllr Steve Allen, cabinet member for communications, culture and communities issued an almost identical statement.

“It is completely unacceptable that our parking officers who are working hard to educate motorists across the city face daily abuse,” he said.

“I hope residents can treat our parking officers with respect during their working day. They are working to keep this city safe and deserve to be treated with respect.”

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The city council says reminding motorists and residents to show respect for parking officers remains part of an ongoing campaign to crackdown on abusive incidents.

“As well as carrying out parking duties, the team will always look to help members of the public in distress,” said the council spokesperson.

“Earlier this year, four quick-thinking officers came to the rescue of a school pupil who had been struck by a vehicle whilst they were on duty.

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One officer said: “Yet despite all these things we do I normally get abuse shouted at me on average about three times a day.

“I normally have someone spit, if not at me, then in my vicinity at least once a week. I have been slapped once, and on one occasion someone rammed me with a bike they were riding.”

Last November the city council revealed that parking officers were facing “daily abuse when trying to educate reckless motorists.

“Officers have been subjected to death threats, physical attacks and being spat at.”

One city council parking officer said: “We are human beings like everyone else trying to fill our fridges and heat our homes.

“Abuse is an unfortunate aspect of our daily work life which has sadly become a regular occurrence while being on patrol.

“The lack of respect and the all too frequent assaults and abuse has a cumulative effect on not only our work but on our home lives.

“Some days can be harder than others and the harder days can run us down which, in turn, has an impact on our home and family lives.”