Parking wardens in Wellington will now wear body cameras to deter people from hurling verbal abuse or physically assaulting them.
Parking officer in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Wellington City Council began trialling the cameras in the middle of last year, and this week decided to make them a permanent part of the wardens' uniforms.
Council parking services manager Michelle Riwai said staff could activate the front-facing cameras if they felt threatened.
She said the 50 cameras - worth a total of $83,000 - would go a long way to making them feel safer.
"We have somewhere between 30 and 50 officers on the road and at least one officer will be abused every day, sometimes more.
"As they fix the camera on, members of the public instantly can see themselves and you watch the situation de-escalate pretty quickly from there."
