Author Topic: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets  (Read 3840 times)

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Offline Web Admin

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Parents face £100 fines if they drop their children at the school gate: Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets in bid to protect children from dangerous driving

    Staff able to give penalty notices using new anti-social behaviour powers
    Parents caught three times could be taken to court and get criminal record
    Public Space Protection Orders used for the first time in Havering, London
    Critics accused councils of inventing crimes - said powers were 'draconian'


Primary schools are banning parents from dropping children off at the gate in their cars – using teachers as traffic wardens to fine offenders £100.

Parents caught three times could even be taken to court and given a criminal record.

Staff will be able to hand out penalty notices using new anti-social behaviour powers. Council officials said the crackdown would protect children from dangerous driving by parents.



But critics said the ‘draconian’ powers were ‘disproportionate’, and accused town halls of inventing crimes.

Officials in Havering, East London, are using new Public Space Protection Orders outside local schools – the first time they have been used in the UK.

PSPOs are designed to stop anti-social behaviour such as spitting and aggressive begging. But they also outlaw any activity that has a ‘detrimental effect’ on local life.

CCTV is being installed outside six primary schools and anyone caught dropping off their children by car at the gates will be fined.

The council is also offering training for parents, teachers and locals who want to impose fines on any drivers parking dangerously.

Una Connolly, head of Wykeham Primary school in Romford, said: ‘There have been a number of serious incidents involving dangerous driving by parents.

'The only way we’re going to stop these parents, and it’s only a small minority, is by prosecution.

She added: ‘The traffic warden was here on Friday, and nobody takes any notice because they don’t really have any powers to do anything.’

But Renate Samson, chief executive of Big Brother Watch said: ‘It is completely disproportionate to use these draconian orders and CCTV cameras to monitor the behaviour of everyone in order to deal with the problem of a small number of people being thoughtless with their cars.’

‘Restricting the freedom of people to go about their business in a public space should only be used in the most extreme of cases, not for a school to police parking violations.’

But Josie Appleton, of the Manifesto Club, which campaigns against over-regulation, said: ‘These are scarily blank-cheque powers which allow councils to invent crimes about anything they judge annoying or antisocial.’

‘The result is to criminalise the innocent and waste police time and distract police from genuine criminal offences.’

The Havering scheme is the first instance of the powers being used anywhere in the country, but other councils are expected to take them up in future.

Local councillor Robert Benham said: ‘This is not about money this is about safety and changing driving behaviours.

‘Last year we issued 1200 parking tickets around schools but with these new measures we hope this is going to drive down penalties and change behaviour and improve safety around schools.’

PSPOs replaced three existing powers: gating orders to close alleys used for anti-social behaviour; designated public place orders confiscating alcohol; and dog control orders that ban dogs or require them to be on leads.

They can be imposed by councils without approval by ministers. To oppose them a legal challenge to the High Court must be made within six weeks.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3427398/Parents-face-100-fines-drop-children-school-gate-Teachers-acting-traffic-wardens-hand-tickets-bid-protect-children-dangerous-driving.html

Offline 2b1ask1

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #1 on: 04 February, 2016, 07:39:58 PM »
Yeah; welcome to Havering...

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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #2 on: 05 February, 2016, 12:06:40 PM »
First parking was a criminal offence.

Then they decriminalised it which opened it up for abuse by LAs.

Then they banned them from using cameras for parking because it was being abused.

Now they are going to recriminalise it through the back door and will be using cameras and lay persons with no authority to bring criminal prosecutions to do so.


 W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F: W:T:F:

And more importantly, how long will it be before they introduce borough wide PSPOs for the sake of "the safety of the kiddies?"

================================================

Criminal records over Havering school parking incidents


Wykeham Primary School is situated at the end of a cul de sac causing challenges for parents wanting to park

Parents who flout parking regulations outside six east London primary schools could get a criminal record.

Motorists will be issued with £100 fines and three warnings before a criminal prosecution is sought,

Havering Council, which will implement the scheme, said the current parking situation meant children faced an "imminent threat to life".

One headteacher said a child was recently hospitalised after being hit by a parent doing a three-point turn.

Una Connelly, headteacher of Wykeham Primary, said: "There have been a number of serious incidents involving dangerous driving by parents.

"There have also been many near misses, and we're acting before there's a fatality."

From the spring, a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) will be set up meaning CCTV cameras will be installed and anyone caught flouting the regulations can be prosecuted.

She said: "The only way we're going to stop these parents, and it's only a very small minority, is by prosecution. This ...order, for me, is the best idea."

Other management methods include training parents, teachers and resident to issue parking fines.

But Mrs Connelly said she was reluctant to put others at "risk of abuse of any kind".

Robert Benham, from Havering Council, said it was hoped making parking a criminal offence would work as a deterrent to inconsiderate parking.

He said: "Three strikes and they're holed before the magistrates. And I think this behaviour will stop."

Quick-fix 'warning'

Iain Temperton from Road Safety GB said parking could help to regulate traffic by forcing drivers to slow down, and urged the council not to focus on quick-fixes.

He said: "The PSPO sounds like a short-term solution. There's always the difficulty you're going to move the problem somewhere else."

The schools involved in the scheme are: Gidea Park, Parsonage Farm, Ardleigh Green, Broadford, Wykeham and Engayne.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35460348
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Offline scalyback

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #3 on: 05 February, 2016, 09:52:52 PM »
Who gets to trouser the money from the fines?

Offline Coco

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #4 on: 06 February, 2016, 08:23:57 AM »
No doubt the teachers will get a cut from every ticket they issue - and if they fail to meet their targets they will probably get detention.

Or am I being too cynical?

Offline DastardlyDick

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #5 on: 06 February, 2016, 09:39:17 PM »
I'm surprised the Teachers have agreed to this - IMHO it puts them at some risk from being run over or assaulted.

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #6 on: 06 February, 2016, 09:54:00 PM »
I'm surprised the Teachers have agreed to this - IMHO it puts them at some risk from being run over or assaulted.


Missing the point.
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Offline Ewan Hoosami

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Re: Havering - Teachers acting as traffic wardens to hand out tickets
« Reply #7 on: 07 February, 2016, 11:26:28 PM »
Appealing to the council is like playing chess with a pigeon. You might be a chess grand master but the pigeon will always knock all the pieces over, shit on the board and then strut around triumphantly.

Offline The Bald Eagle

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