Scaffolding attack on city parking attendant

A PARKING attendant was attacked with a piece of scaffolding in one of a series of violent incidents endured by wardens in the Capital.

The attendant suffered an injured shoulder after a piece of scaffolding was thrown at him as he worked in Warrender Park Road, Marchmont.

The incident is among 71 recorded incidents – 37 of which were physical in nature – recorded up until the end of November that include parking attendants being headbutted, spat at and racially abused.

A spokesman for NCP Services, the company which provides Edinburgh's parking attendants, said a scaffolding bolt had been thrown at the attendant as he walked along the street checking vehicles.

The police were not called.

In another incident, one attendant was injured when a member of the public backed their car into him, while others have been kicked and punched by irate motorists.

In another incident, reported earlier this year by the Evening News, a parking attendant was shot by a pellet gun as he went about his work in the New Town.

A spokesman for NCP Services said: "The level of assaults on our staff in Edinburgh is thankfully quite low, compared with similar cities elsewhere in the UK – and the level has remained fairly constant over the last few years.

"However, as far as we are concerned, one assault is one too many, and no-one should have to put up with assaults and abuse simply for doing their job.

"Parking attendants are public servants who do an important job keeping the streets clear and the traffic flowing, and we have noticed recently that the police and courts are getting much tougher on people who would seek to prevent them doing that job through intimidation."

He added: "We will do whatever we can to support police in getting prosecutions, and we hope that by working with police, and demonstrating the value to Edinburgh of the work we do, we will be able to reduce the number of incidents."

A log of verbal and physical assaults, which was released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows a litany of incidents across the city.

They include parking attendants being followed, threatened and having to endure "severe" verbal abuse, which is often racial in tone.

However, the incidents recorded are only those where an attendant called for assistance and completed an incident report. The actual number of attacks could be much higher.

In March, a parking attendant was hit on the hand by a pellet as he and a colleague worked in York Lane in the New Town.

The man escaped injury.

The figures do, however, represent a fall in the number of attacks from previous years, with a total of 76 verbal assaults and 52 physical assaults in 2006.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's transport convener, said: "Parking attendants have the right to work without fear of verbal or physical abuse."

Monthly breakdown of assaults

January: Fowler Terrace, Parking attendant headbutted
March: Northwest Circus Place, Parking attendant spat at
March: York Lane, Parking attendant shot by pellet
April: Blackwood Crescent, Parking attendant punched
June: Grassmarket, Parking attendant hitonthe head
July: Glengyle Terrace, Assault and racial abuse
September: George Street, Parking attendant barged into and spat at
October: Lutton Place, "Serious" racial abuse directed at parking attendant
October: Coates Gardens, Car backed into parking attendant