We've been hit, abused and harassed, say parking wardens

Parking wardens in the South East have spoken out about the abuse and violence some of them face, to highlight the impact of attacks on frontline workers.

A BBC investigation can reveal more than 200 physical assaults have been recorded on parking staff in Kent, Surrey and Sussex since 2020, with some staff saying they have been punched and sexually harassed.

The Institute of Customer Service is calling for the government to make an assault on any public-facing worker a standalone offence.

The Home Office said existing laws already protected public-facing workers, including traffic wardens, from abuse, harassment, and intimidation.

Finn Gregory, a Brighton and Hove civil enforcement officer (CEO) known more commonly as a parking or traffic warden, said he had experienced physical violence and verbal threats during his two years in the job.

"Someone came up to me speaking nonsensically, I didn't understand what he was saying," he said.

"I tried to leave and as I turned my back he struck me in my lower back.

"When you wake up and think 'what's my day going to be like?' you really don't want to think about 'maybe I'll be attacked today'."

Mr Gregory added: "We're not out here to get you, we're trying to keep traffic flowing."

Stephanie, a customer service supervisor for the parking enforcement team, which is run for the council by NSL, also shared her experiences of verbal abuse to raise public awareness.

"I have unfortunately been followed through the street before, I've had sexual harassment and really disgusting things said to me," she said.

She even described violent threats towards her colleagues.

"Some of my staff had vehicles driven towards them out of anger and thankfully they hit the brake, but what's stopping them?" she said.

Lumi, a late patrol CEO, has also experienced verbal abuse in the street.

"I've had instances where there's been sexual abuse, which is quite disgusting, some forms of harassment, it can be really, really bad," she said.

She said the introduction of body-worn video cameras was acting as a deterrent.

"It does help in situations where a member of the public is thinking about being verbally abusive, because they see the camera, they know they're going to be recorded," she said.

The BBC submitted Freedom of Information requests to all councils in the South East to find out how many parking wardens had been physically and verbally abused.

Not all councils recorded the information in the same way, but figures from those that did respond suggested there were more than 130 physical assaults recorded in Sussex between 2020 and 2024 and 83 in Kent.

Fewer councils responded in Surrey, where four physical assaults were logged.

However, three councils across the region used the category "physical abuse" with 46 cases recorded, 27 in Kent, 12 in Surrey and 7 in Sussex.

Twenty-four of the borough and district councils confirmed enforcement staff now had body-worn video cameras for protection.

The Crime and Policing Bill, which is moving through Parliament, has proposed making assault of a retail worker a new specific offence in England and Wales.

But campaigners want the law to go further and cover all sectors, to act as a deterrent.

The Institute of Customer Service told BBC South East 40% of customer-facing staff had faced some level of abusive behaviour, according to its research.

"We want to see the law broadened and widened to cover anyone in a customer- facing role," said chief executive Jo Causon.

"We want it to be a deterrent. Over 60% of our workforce are in some form of customer-related role.

"I don't think people are aware of the size and the significance of this, and if you have a standalone offence, that means a greater focus on those people who are impacted."

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said the government was bringing in assault against shop workers as a standalone office, and "they've increased the amount of time you go to prison".

"But I do think it's definitely something we should be having a much stronger conversation around, because we are seeing more violence against these frontline workers and all they're trying to do, is do their job," she said.

Brighton & Hove City Council set up the Beyond the Uniform campaign last year, which has been shedding light on the extent of the abuse some are facing.

"I'm absolutely shocked that these people during the course of their day job are getting abuse, they're simply trying to serve the city," said Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure.

"We have seen in the course of the last year, a 25% reduction in the abuse of our Civil Enforcement Officers, so the campaign itself we believe is reversing that trend."

The government said the law already provided for a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker via section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

It said the aggravating factor applied in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public.

"This aggravating factor ensures the courts treat the public-facing nature of a victim's role as an aggravating factor when considering the sentence for an offence and sends a clear message that violence and abuse towards any worker, including parking wardens, will not be tolerated," added the Home Office spokesperson.

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