Parking Fines set to escalate with 'licence to cheat.'

The Daily Mail reports the fact that with the new parking rules which come into force on 31st March 2008 the number of "unfair" parking fines issued to drivers will soar.

Parking Attendants will be allowed to ticket on sight and motorists will no longer be able avoid a penalty by driving off before a parking attendant has a chance to ticket their vehicle.

If the Parking Attendant claims he had already started writing the ticket, drivers will be sent the penalty charge notice in the post.
The new rule is included in the Traffic Management Act 2004, superseding the Road Traffic Act 1991, which stated attendants needed supporting evidence, including photographs and a note of the tax disc number, to prove they witnessed a contravention.

Read the full article here

You have been warned. This will lead to wholesale abuse. However, we will soon be launching a product which will allow you to prove your innocence.

Hairdresser accused of attacking NCP Services Parking Attendant

Hairdresser and Chairman of Kilburn's Business Association, Zulfi Amade recounted an horrific tale last night at a meeting of the London Motorists Action Group chaired by Lord Lucas.

Actor Tom Conti and AA's Edmund King were amongst the group that sat in stunned silence as Zulfi detailed how he had been pinned to a wall by NCP Services' Parking Attendants and subsequently arrested and accused of assault. He was held in cells for 5 hours just before Christmas.

He had spotted a Parking Attendant issuing a Penalty Charge Notice to a car belonging to a waitress in a restaurant adjacent to his shop and had asked the PA not to ticket while he fetched the waitress. She agreed but while he was away ticketed the car.

The Parking Attendant accused him of attacking her and he was held by three more who turned up at the scene and later arrested by the Police after the accusations by the NCP Services attendant.

The full shocking story was reported here in the Ham and High.

However, the Police have since dropped all charges.

An NCP Services spokesman said " Camden Police have confirmed to us that they feel our Parking Attendants behaved appropriately by reporting the incident but that due to the nature of the evidence they were able to gather, which came down to differing individual views of the incident, they have not on this occasion proceeded with criminal charges."

Oh really. ' Differing individual views?'

Was the 'differing individual view' that the Parking Attendant was NOT assaulted at all then?

The month before Tim Cowen of NCP had said: "This was a frightening incident after which a female parking attendant received a deep cut to her face and was in hospital until late evening."

Now that all charges have been dropped Mr. Amade intends to initiate legal action after witnesses, including a solicitor, corroborated his story.

Beware Bogus Parking Attendants

By allowing 'parking' enforcement on private land to go unregulated it was only a matter of time before some would begin to really exploit the situation.

Motorists visiting North Manchester Hospital have recently been targeted by a company called Careless Intentions ... and issued with £90 fines.

Trouble is that the Hospital Trust have no contract with Careless Intentions and therefore they have no authority to issue tickets.

How many motorists have suffered?

Anyone issued with a ticket by this company MUST call the Police.

If they are operating any other car parks then they must not be allowed to access any other registered keepers details from DVLA and must immediately be struck off the DVLA list.

Unregulated, uncontrolled ... a licence to extort money from unsuspecting motorists. It is time that the whole practice of private land enforcement was either regulated or scrapped.

The story in full can be read here in the Middleton Guardian

Richmond Council banks over £150,000 from former terrorists activities

Last week we reported that Richmond Council had banked over £10,000 from a former terrorist who had been employed as a Parking Attendant, but that was based on figures released by the council for his last three months employment.

Now we reveal how much the council banked while he operated for over three years.

Mustapha Boutarfa, 32, was arrested by Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad in 1996 and extradited from Britain to France two years later. He was subsequently jailed for his involvement in a bomb attack on the Paris Metro - which killed eight people and wounded 80.

However, he managed to get back into Britain and gained employment as a Parking Attendant with NCP Services.

It is reported that when his employer, NCP Services, learned of his background - three years after he first started work - it suspended him, saying it could "understand public concern about this matter".

Now, following a Freedom of Information request, we have received details of the total number and amount of tickets issued by Mr. Boutarfa ... and it is quite staggering (shown in the table below).

What is even more staggering is the council's excuse as to why they are not going to refund the money.

No refunds because ... being a terrorist ...
"does not constitute grounds for cancellation of penalty charge notices issued by him ... the parking regulations do not allow this."
Parveen Bindra, Legal Services Department, Richmond Council

Not sure whether the legislators would have factored this into the equation when drafting the Notice to Owner.

Grounds for cancellation (tick relevant box)
[] The contravention did not occur
[] The Traffic Order was invalid
[] I was not the keeper at the time of the contravention
[] We are a hire firm
[] The vehicle was taken without my consent
[] The Parking Attendant was or used to be a terrorist

Regardless of the claim that it 'does not constitute grounds for appeal' it is clear that there has been a gross dereliction of duty and Richmond have a vicarious liability for the failings of their contractor ... who failed to even undertake the most basic of checks. They have also benefitted from 'unjust enrichment' which could precipitate a legal action or complaint to the District Auditor.

I am sure that someone will wish to challenge Richmond on this point.