Mullingar traffic wardens

Traffic wardens to carry cameras for personal safety

Westmeath County Council’s traffic wardens stepped out in style today with new uniforms including new state-of-the-art personal CCTV cameras.

Westmeath County Council is among the first local authorities in Ireland to introduce personal CCTV cameras for Traffic Wardens.

The overall aim of the personal CCTV camera is to provide for the personal safety of traffic wardens while they are doing their job.

"These devices will not be operating on a continuous basis, however, if a traffic warden finds him or herself in a situation that could result in some form of confrontation they can advise the other person or persons that they are turning on the device to record proceedings," said a spokesperson for Westmeath County Council.

"Traffic wardens have been trained in using these devices and there is a policy in which they will adhere too.

"These devices are about ensuring their personal safety while doing their job. We hope that it will not be needed too often but it is there as a safety precaution.

"Research has shown that when the personal CCTV cameras are in place they are in fact a deterrent and have proved very effective in de-escalating potential conflict situations."