No CCTV for traffic wardens, says Limerick Mayor
The Mayor of Limerick has denied claims that traffic wardens in Limerick city have been issued with CCTV cameras following concerns for their safety.
Cllr Diarmuid Scully was responding to newspaper claims that city officials were so concerned for the safety of their staff that traffic wardens had been issued with miniature CCTV cameras installed on their clothing.
“This simply isn't true - there is no factual basis for this story whatsoever,” said Mayor Scully in a statement last night.
The Limerick Leader reported today that the city official with responsibility for traffic management was so concerned over the personal safety of wardens that all staff had been issued with miniature security cameras.
However, in a statement the Mayor said today that the official at the centre of the story had denied that he ever made any of the comments attributed to him in the newspaper article.
The story followed an incident in which a traffic warden was reportedly struck by a car while carrying out his duties in the city last weekend.
Limerick traffic management went high-tech last month with the introduction of a new system of on the spot fines.
All eight city traffic wardens were equipped with handheld terminals for recording fines for illegal parking which also enables information to be immediately transferred to a database at city hall.
The new system which also includes a back office computerised administration package was purchased at a cost of €43,000.
“These devices can only be used to confirm number plates and to check that parking discs are valid - they have no other function. They are not a CCTV system and it is a technological impossibility for them to be used as such,” said Mayor Scully.
