Council officers in Townsville are being equipped with
small recording devices to give them additional support in dealing with angry
motorists. The devices are being worn on the outside of the shirts of the
officers, and are able to capture both voice and image recordings.
The tool is being used mainly for collecting evidence,
with officers able to record any conversation, but generally only doing so
where people behave aggressively. According to the Townsville Bulletin, the
device grants the parking officers peace of mind, offering a robust form of
evidence and security when often the work on their own.
Townsville Council says that officers have received
training in how to act when confronted with threatening or irate people:
withdraw and avoid inflaming the situation, and record the conversation.
We recently wrote on the Wayfinding Forum about the
City of Holdfast Bay in South Australia, issuing hands free mini video
recorders and cameras to all their officers. With digital cameras now an
essential part of their jobs in documenting booked vehicles, these devices are
the obvious and logical next step in giving the officers tools to support their
enforcement.