Driver attacks parking warden

Auckland parking officers endure high levels of abuse. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A parking warden has been offered counselling after an angry motorist tried to run him down.

Police are investigating the incident involving an Auckland City Council employee in Pt Chevalier last week.

The lone officer was attending a callout and, after dodging the moving vehicle, got into his car before being chased for several hundred metres.

Council acting parking group manager Rick Bidgood said he couldn't comment further because he didn't want to jeopardise the police inquiry.

But he said the council's parking officers had been subjected to 65 cases of threats, verbal abuse and physical attacks this year.

Auckland staff reported three times as much abuse as officers elsewhere in the country - but the city also has the most parking staff and issues the most tickets, about 500,000 a year worth $15 million in fines.

The Auckland city officers operate round the clock, and the threat of attack meant staff on duty after dark patrolled in pairs or with a security officer.

Bidgood said Auckland had a better record than similar cities overseas and the number of cases of abuse had fallen during the past three years.

The staff member involved in last week's vehicle incident had been offered counselling and put on temporary desk duties.

It's not the first incident of its kind. In Hamilton, one motorist faced police charges after attempting to run down a warden with a vehicle, one of three physical attacks in the city this year. The offender was convicted and fined.

Staff are also patrolling in pairs in Manukau after attacks that included an officer's car tyres being slashed.

Manukau City Council parking operations manager Liz Hogan said there had been 17 incidents so far this year.

Officers were trained to resolve conflict, and report all incidents, she said.

Christchurch officers have reported 18 incidents of verbal abuse, attacks or threats so far this year, three times the number last year.

North Shore City Council's parking staff have been threatened or verbally abused 12 times, with five incidents reported to police. Like Hamilton wardens, officers in Waitakere and Wellington have reported no more than a handful of incidents.

Waitakere parking services manager Colin Waite said attacks on the city's officers were uncommon, but offenders were almost always identified.

"We have zero tolerance for it, so we'll go and log a complaint with the police, especially when we can identify who the person is, and we can usually do that because they've been given a ticket."

Bidgood predicted an increase in incidents during the December rush.

"Pre-Christmas, everybody thinks they shouldn't get a parking infringement notice," he said.