A shocking video published on Coventry City Council’s social media channels today (Tuesday 1 October) has shown the extent of abuse faced by frontline Council staff.
The video captures an incident in June 2023 where two parking wardens are verbally and physically assaulted by a member of the public.
The two wardens - also known as Civil Enforcement Officers - were patrolling Nuffield Road and ticketed a vehicle that was illegally parked. When a member of the public saw a ticket on his vehicle, he became verbally and physically abusive towards the officers.
The video, which can be viewed below or on the Council’s YouTube channel, was captured by one of the body cameras that are worn by all the city’s Civil Enforcement Officers.
The bodycam footage of the incident was shared with the Police who investigated the matter. The investigation resulted in a successful prosecution in October 2023.
The case is just one of many incidents of assault and abuse against Council Civil Enforcement Officers which are being highlighted as part of an ongoing Council campaign called ‘No excuse for abuse’ to cut down on violence against staff.
Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council said: “Everybody deserves to be safe, supported and treated with respect at their workplace. We know many residents appreciate the work of Council Officers but as this footage shows, there are a small minority who take it too far.
“Council staff work hard every day to support the people of our city and we know that is appreciated by most people, but sadly cases of abuse are rising, and this cannot be allowed to continue.
“There is no excuse for abuse and if you assault our staff, we will inform the police and we will push for a prosecution. I’d like to thank our Police colleagues for their invaluable support with this incident."
A Police spokesperson said: “Incidents like this are completely unacceptable and we continue to work with our local authority partners to take action wherever and whenever we receive information about this kind of incident.
“Everyone has the right to go to work without the fear of being assaulted and we will take strong action against anyone responsible for this type of offence.
“Following our investigation into this incident, a man in his 40s was arrested, charged and convicted of assault in October last year.”