Report ES18025

Members were informed of activity by the Shared Parking Service to combat the criminal offence of Blue Badge misuse.

APCOA Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) carry out Inspections and ask drivers of vehicles displaying Blue Badge specific questions to determine whether or not misuse is taking place. CEOs and authorised Council Officers can legally confiscate a Blue Badge and return it to the issuing Local Authority should any misuse be suspected. 

High rates of prosecution success are achieved through close working with the Greenwich Fraud Team and for a second year the shared parking service engaged with Blue Badge holders through the Blue Badge Bulletin, raising awareness of Blue Badge rules and providing an update on the enforcement campaign. An online survey with Blue Badge holders also aimed to gauge awareness on aspects of the campaign and further initiatives included:

·  business cards allowing individuals to report misuse;

·  press releases to highlight each prosecution success;

·  stronger warning signs displayed in key areas on-street and in car parks;

·  a hotline and e-form on the Council’s website to report misuse;

·  distribution of feedback cards to encourage drivers to leave comments after a Blue Badge inspection (96% of feedback being positive); and

·  use of social media, e.g. Twitter, to raise awareness of the scheme.

Key intelligence from regular action days, where CEOs report each Blue Badge number seen on patrol, help pinpoint where badges are most used. Common trends are also recognised in badge misuse (e.g. display of a child’s badge during school hours or display of an elderly person’s badge outside a gym) and certain locations are targeted at certain times to tackle misuse. 

Use of the Blue Badge Improvement System (allowing Council officers to see details of a badge in real time) enabled on-street identification of a badge holder to compare with a driver or passenger. Any display of a lost, stolen or deceased person’s badge can also be identified.

Following a thorough investigation after confiscating a badge, evidence is collaborated and the case passed to the Greenwich Fraud Team. Results of the Fraud Team’s investigation are then sent to Parking Services and after a further look at the case by the Head of Parking Service, a recommendation is made to the Head of Audit to make a final decision on whether to prosecute. 

From January 2016 to February 2018:

·  165 badges were confiscated because of suspected misuse;

·  83 drivers were successfully prosecuted (including 11 prosecutions where a Penalty Charge Notice was issued);

·  54 warning letters were issued due to mitigating circumstances;

·  the driver could not be traced in nine cases; 

·  33 additional badges were obtained which had expired; and

·  30 cases remained open and under investigation (at the time of Report ES18025). 

Although overall badge confiscations had more than doubled, the amount of

L B Bromley badges confiscated within the borough had significantly decreased. Comprehensive training and support to CEOs as part of the enforcement campaign included matters related to the identification of Blue Badge misuse and inspection/confiscation procedures and techniques. Continuous feedback and support is given to CEOs to ensure the highest levels of best on-street practice. 

Where a driver admits misuse but the case is not considered suitable for prosecution, a “council simple caution” might be appropriate with a voluntary contribution requested towards the cost of the investigation. In other boroughs such contributions had been paid in nearly 70% of cases and are then publicised. Officers would continue to work with L B Bromley Legal Services in developing the practice.

Work could also be undertaken with neighbouring boroughs to potentially share relevant data and by engaging with organisations such as the borough’s Safer Neighbourhood Team and Neighbourhood Watch Association, local disability and mobility charities, and doctor surgeries and libraries, the misuse campaign can be further promoted.

Members were advised that the Shared Parking Service had recently won the Parking in Community Award in recognition of its work with Blue Badges.

In cases of Blue Badge misuse by individuals from outside the borough, the same prosecution process applied. A Member had noticed an increase in drivers displaying a Blue Badge when waiting on yellow line parking restrictions to collect children outside schools. The public was encouraged to report instances of misuse online and officers from the Shared Parking Service worked closely with CEOs; family members were known to often infringe the Blue Badge scheme. Reference was also made to publicising hot spot areas known to experience a higher level of misuse and to advertising (more widely) the hotline number as a means to report abuse. The Chairman congratulated the Team on the results of such an effective campaign and was pleased to receive a report on such a good news story regarding an area which had been of concern in the past. The Chairman commented that it was an excellent report including useful information for Members and therefore suggested circulating report ES18025 to Members not on the Committee to highlight the hotline number.

On engaging with other organisations to promote the campaign, a question was asked on whether the private sector could also be engaged. Officers would investigate but it was not possible to prosecute on private land.

RESOLVED that:

(1)  the activity and success of the Blue Badge misuse campaign and successful prosecutions be noted;

(2)  plans to develop working relationships, sharing of data, and possible campaigns with neighbouring and like-minded boroughs be noted; and

(3)  proposals to develop use of Council Simple Cautions in some cases of Blue Badge misuse be noted.