$83,000 worth of body cameras to protect Wellington parking officers

The body cameras will only be activated when an interaction becomes confrontational and a parking officer feels unsafe. Photo / Doug Sherring

Wellington parking officers will start wearing body cameras this week to keep them safe in and around the city.

Wellington City Council's decision to introduce body cameras, carrying a cost of $83,000, is the result of a successful trial last year which tested a number of areas, including their effect on public behaviour towards parking officers.

"Evidence suggests the cameras act as a deterrent. People are less likely to become abusive or violent when they are aware they are being filmed," said City Council parking services manager Michelle Riwai.

The camera will only be activated when an interaction becomes confrontational and the officer feels unsafe.

Officers will then advise the person that the camera is operating.

A front-facing screen on the camera will allow members of the public to see their 'live' image and know they are being recorded.

The City Council's transport strategy portfolio leader Chris Calvi-Freeman said parking officers are trained in first-aid, incident detection and conflict minimisation.

"Incidents of serious abuse of parking officers are thankfully rare, but these new cameras will help us keep our officers and our city safe."

All footage will be held securely and deleted after 48 hours, unless the footage is deemed worth keeping, in which case it will be held on file for one month and then reviewed.

The new cameras will not be used to gather infringement evidence.

The move comes just days after Dunedin City Council fitted parking officers with body cameras.

Calvi-Freeman said effective parking enforcement is also essential for the wellbeing of the city's retailers and business community, and for road safety.

"Our parking officers help to support our city's businesses by ensuring that short-term parking spaces are not monopolised long-term. They also work to discourage motorists from parking dangerously or inconsiderately."

In 2015, Corrections announced that wearable cameras would also be introduced for prison guards with the hope of reducing "disruptive incidents".