Police chief wants traffic wardens to help in crime fight

Source: www.theherald.co.uk
By Stephen Stewart
Date: May 30, 2003

Cybercrime Traffic wardens could play a vital intelligence-gathering role in tackling street crime and anti-social behaviour, according to one of Scotland's leading police officers.

Andrew Cameron, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos), suggested that the much-vilified public sector workers could take on an expanded role as a conduit for information to police.

Last week, Mr Cameron attacked the main tenets of Jack McConnell's flagship crime policy which laid out plans for neighbourhood wardens.

However, he said yesterday traffic wardens could fulfil further surveillance and security duties, freeing up police officers to tackle youth disorder and street crime.

Mr Cameron, who is also chief constable of Central Scotland Police, discussed his ideas for intelligence gathering at the annual meeting of Acpos, where Mr McConnell demanded an end to "years of neglect and failure" in tackling crime.

"We have just had elections recently and the message was clear that there is a need to focus on the issue of anti-social behaviour," Mr Cameron said, "It would be important to look at the role of traffic wardens to see what they could do. We do not see them as a replacement for community police officers.

"Traffic wardens have been the ears and eyes of the community and there must be a re-emphasis of this community basis for them.

"We should examine where traffic wardens could be given other duties to help them provide more information to police officers."

Scots police forces face increasing paedophile crime and have to juggle resources to cope with the burgeoning problem, the association president warned.

Mr Cameron outlined his concerns about the "increasing menace"of paedophilia and the growing prevalence of cyber-crime yesterday.

Original article: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/30-5-19103-23-57-25.html

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