Met patrols target warden attacks

The parking wardens will be taught how to spot signs of crime

Police will patrol the streets of Westminster with parking attendants to cut the number of attacks on wardens.

The joint patrols will take place mainly at night or in areas where there has been a history of attacks.

In return, the NCP parking wardens will report any disorder or street crime they witness while on patrol.

During training the Metropolitan Police officers will also teach wardens how to react when threatened with attack and what signs of crime to look out for.

A Westminster council spokesman said the scheme aimed to improve relations between the Met and parking staff as well as to make the borough's streets safer.

Assault victims

Bob Macnaughton, chief executive of NCP, said: "We already have terrific support from the Met Police - but this agreement specifies several useful ways we can help each other.

"It will help us to further reduce the level of assaults and abuse our parking wardens receive while carrying out their duties - and we hope that we will be able to give something back to the police by providing more formal support in terms of observing and recording street crime and disorder."

Ch Supt Dean Ingledew, from Westminster, said: "We have sought to reduce and defuse confrontation between the parking attendants and the public however we will not tolerate assault or abuse towards any section of society."

A report by the Association of London Government published earlier this year revealed that an estimated 50 million acts of illegal parking take place in London each year.

The report found that as many as three parking attendants a day were victims of assaults by motorists receiving parking tickets.