Editorial: Camera on our violent society

Parking wardens in Tauranga are trialling wearing cameras for their own safety. Photo/file

What is this world coming to when parking wardens have to wear video cameras to keep themselves safe?

Tauranga City Council this week announced that wardens would wear video cameras as part of a six-week trial starting on Monday.

That such a trial is even needed concerns me.

It says a lot about society when a parking warden cannot do the job without fear of being abused or assaulted.

Understandably, no one likes getting a parking ticket. There's no harm in trying to talk your way out of one if you believe you have a genuine reason. If you know you're in the wrong, don't waste your breath arguing with the warden, we need to be willing to face the consequences of our actions. There is no excuse for breaking clearly signposted parking restrictions.

Equally, there's never an excuse to yell, abuse or physically threaten or harm a parking warden - or anyone for that matter.

Our country has an appalling record when it comes to violence.

We all know family violence is a huge problem and we have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Now we have concerns about the safety of parking wardens. That to me says we need to make some changes as a society. It seems violence is the only way some people know to deal with problems.

Parents need to be teaching their kids how to handle problems and stressful situations in a non-violent way but I'd argue we need that sort of education in schools and early childhood centres as well.

Some argue that children go to school to learn maths and English but those skills are no good if they don't know how to behave and interact with others.

We need to teach children from a young age that violence is never acceptable.

We need to teach them to deal with those situations in a healthy way and we need to teach them that there are always consequences for our actions which they have to be willing to face.

I'm all for parking wardens wearing cameras if it is going to keep them safe - but it saddens me that we have come to a point where it is necessary.