West end letters: ticket targets | Confessions of a Traffic Warden | Cllr Danny Chalkley | Channel 4 | abuse

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 4 December 2009

No reason to set ticket targets

• IT is disappointing that Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg should take Channel 4’s recent screening of the documentary Confessions of a Traffic Warden as an opportunity for political point scoring (Call for parking tickets inquiry, November 27)
Many of the people who watched the programme will have been shocked by the level of abuse faced by our traffic wardens on a daily basis. Our wardens have the most challenging job of its kind in the country, and work hard to keep traffic moving and uphold parking restrictions fairly for everyone.
I hope that Cllr Dimoldenberg will publicly agree with me that, whatever the circumstances, there is no excuse for the type of behaviour shown so graphically in this film.
However frustrated a motorist may become the racist abuse and threats of violence shown on this film cannot be justified.
In addition, I would like to reiterate that the council and its contractors do not set any kind of ticket targets. Apart from the fact that we have no incentives in our contracts for the number of tickets issued, poorly issued tickets can actually cost the council money. There is therefore no reason for us to set targets, covertly or otherwise.
Cllr Dimoldenberg, meanwhile, can always call upon the council’s scrutiny committee to examine parking enforcement.
This bipartisan panel is the most appropriate body to carry out the “independent investigation” for which he calls.
If anyone has evidence to suggest that some supervisors may be inappropriately setting targets, I would ask them to share it with us so that the committee can fully investigate the problem.
Cllr Danny Chalkley
Cabinet Member for City Management

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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