GLOBE ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The council spy car patrolling Wirral, photographing and fining motorists (From Wirral Globe)
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GLOBE ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The council spy car patrolling Wirral, photographing and fining motorists
12:03pm Friday 19th June 2009 in News Exclusive By Justin Dunn
The council surveillance car was spotted on Wednesday afternoon in The Crescent, West Kirby, by a Globe reader
A SURVEILLANCE car paid for with council tax is patrolling Wirral taking surreptitious photographs of errant motorists who then receive fines through the post.
But Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford and local councillors have questioned Wirral Council's motives.
The white Smart car - marked out in Wirral Council livery - is fitted with a 'periscope' camera on its roof.
The council says it is primarily to catch out "disruptive or dangerous" drivers - like those who park on zig zag road markings outside schools.
But on Wednesday afternoon a Globe reader spotted it parked in The Crescent, West Kirby - a road the council had been planning to pedestrianise earlier this year - apparently monitoring motorists stopping to use an ATM at a bank opposite on Banks Road.
The car's camera was level with the windows of the private accommodation above The Crescent's shops.
'At a time when the council wishes to decimate library services it is spending thousands of pounds in snooping on my constituents'
Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford
"I was horrified," said the reader, who has asked not to be named but who emailed us his photographs of the car.
"It can park normally and then raise its periscope camera to spy on vehicles while hidden in a row of parked cars.
"You then receive a parking ticket without knowing an offence has been committed. That's sneaky.
"I would also be very concerned about misuse and abuse of this periscope camera by the drivers and of course the cost of such a unit."
He added: "The choice of a Smart car was obviously deliberate, its size enabling it to hide effectively in a row of parked cars to carry out its dastardly business.
"I find it petty and vindictive which I guess sums up this awful council.
"Seeing it in the flesh brought home the Orwellian nature of its intrusiveness. I had shivers down the spine."
Wirral West MP Mr Hesford said: "I just wonder whether the council has its priorities right.
"At a time when it wishes to decimate library services it is spending thousands of pounds in snooping on my constituents and disrupting the ordinary commercial life of places like West Kirby.
"I think that the council should re-examine its spending priorities."
The car was seen driving through New Brighton on Thursday afternoon by Globe photographer David Gennard, who followed it as it drove past St Mary's College in Wallasey Village, up Grove Road and onto Warren Drive into New Brighton.
The resort's Conservative Cllr Sue Taylor said: "How dare they waste this money?
"There are more than enough parking enforcement officers on the streets as it is.
"The police also operate large and small CCTV vans so this is just blatantly duplicating services we are already paying for.
"Who's agreed it and how much? Surveillance doesn't come cheap."
Tory Cllr Leah Fraser, who until recently chaired the corporate services committee that investigated Wirral Council's use of the government's controversial RIPA laws - which allow council employees to use anti-terror legislation to snoop on residents for incidents like fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour - was also angry.
"This is yet another example of Wirral Council’s confused priorities," she said.
"A mobile CCTV camera, which was bought to improve road safety around schools, is instead being used to boost the council’s income from parking fines.
"This is the same council that had to switch off the CCTV cameras in crime hotspots due to cash problems.
"Big Brother is alive and well in Wallasey Town Hall, whether it is secret snooping using anti-terrorist laws or a video camera on a twenty foot pole going past your bedroom window."
She added: "Where are these pictures stored? How long are they kept for?
"The public needs to know how long this information is stored and who's got access to it."
A council spokeswoman said: "The vehicle has been on the road since April.
"It has been supplied and is operated by NSL (formerly NCP) as part of their parking enforcement contract with Wirral Council.
"There is no additional cost to the council for the vehicle’s deployment.
"Authorisation for the use of this CCTV vehicle in Wirral came from cabinet, and it is primarily used to tackle disruptive or dangerous parking, for example outside schools, although it may be used to deal with problem parking anywhere across the borough."
Comments(26)
raymond38
says...
1:50pm Fri 19 Jun 09
Spiffy
says...
1:54pm Fri 19 Jun 09
I am surprised at councillors shock at this. How is it that they did not already know of it's existence and use ? Someone is slacking in the job...
As for 'There is no additional cost to the council for the vehicle’s deployment. 'then clearly the budget for such can be cut and the money could be better spent used elsewhere. You know, like for catching real criminals who actually hurt people.
Hon
says...
2:17pm Fri 19 Jun 09
So this CCTV vehicle catches people parking illegally outside schools dangering kids and people parking in narrow streets to hope to get cash out..... someone tell me why this is bad again?
slumdog
says...
2:21pm Fri 19 Jun 09
I often see cars and vans taking up so much of the pavement that people (especially anyone with a pram) have to walk in the road to get round them. That is quite obviously dangerous. A car with the right equipment is a cost effective way of catching the scum.
I do think there may be issues to do with privacy though. Three CCTV operators for Sefton Council Security, were jailed last year for spying on a young girl getting changed. Everyone seems to think CCTV is a good idea though!
Dazzzler
says...
8:26pm Fri 19 Jun 09
Infact I hope it appears near my home, where people park across a double junction, on about 40 yards of double yellow lines, and then continue round the corner (including the corner) in to the next road.
All these who do this unbelieveablly are parents taking their children to a local dance/drama school whilst endangering the local children trying to cross the road.
I hope they give a phone number to phone about dangerous parking because I for one will give it a call.
Hon
says...
10:58am Sat 20 Jun 09
Dazzzler
says...
11:08am Sat 20 Jun 09
Hon wrote:Thanks matey, I will take a note of the times etc over the next two weeks and give them a call.
From the wirral website its the Streetscene number matey if you have parking issues. 606 2004
glenn, moreton
says...
6:28pm Sat 20 Jun 09
Can someone get to the bottom of this? What are the odds for David Green having something to do with it? Who runs this council anyway? Doesn't appear to be the councillors.
Hon
says...
7:27pm Sat 20 Jun 09
doug c
says...
8:20pm Sat 20 Jun 09
Mercury1
says...
10:42am Sun 21 Jun 09
The people that run these things are no more than legalised thieves. I for one shall carry my camera and if I see this vehicle then I will photograph it. What's the bet it will be parked ilegally and the driver will object?
What's good for them is good for us.
B Daly
says...
11:08am Sun 21 Jun 09
Wirral councelors dont have a clue and are only bothered by others interest in there latest money making scam, If you want to avoid the fine just comit a more serious crime as our under funded and overworked police force will never catch or prosicute you unless Wirral council can find a way to make a profit.
To all of the concered readers dont worry about the abuse of this camera car the price of petrol will soon put paid to this. Look forward to bicycle CCTV on a street near you?
glenn, moreton
says...
11:36am Sun 21 Jun 09
this is about the methods employed to catch a few errant drivers. The ends certainly do not justify the means. Spy cameras to catch a few people parked illegally is the thin end of the wedge with this council - Leah Fraser is regularly 'surprised and disgusted' at things going on in the council that most councillors don't seem to be aware of - the use of terror laws to catch people putting rubbish in the wrong bins for example is done with out the knowledge of our councillors - like i said who actually runs this council if councillors don't know what's going on? If ,as Hon says,it's simply a case of tory councillors not looking at their memos then why all the publicity for them when they find out through the papers? I think something seriously needs to be looked at here and quick because I hope councillors aren't pretending to not know what's going on when they have already been briefed on these little projects just to make it look like they are not part of what's happening. It would be very dishonest of certain councillors to claim they aren't aware of what's happening in their own council.Can someone get to the bottom of this and find out because i'm starting to feel like we're all being taken for a ride on this point.Do councillors know what's going on in the council? Apparently not!
piggymalone
says...
7:37pm Sun 21 Jun 09
freakybritgal
says...
1:36am Mon 22 Jun 09
Dazzzler
says...
3:47pm Mon 22 Jun 09
freakybritgal wrote:Another who uses the car for the school run, and even admits parking in someones drive. I have had this where I live and I block them and go in my house, if they want to get their car back then they have to knock and explain why it has blocked my entrance to my property.
'At a time when the council wishes to decimate library services it is spending thousands of pounds in snooping on my constituents'well i dont mind them issuing fines but we should be warned about what the council are going to do first ,rather than doing it so sneaky i do often park insomeones drive for about 1 minute max ,when picking the kids up,if this is so much off a problem for the neighbours they never should off bought the house right next too a public school ,they know the score ,why dont our council make money by fining litterdroppers at trainstations ,my husband got fined £50 for flicking a cigeratte stump in glasgow !!!!!!
And as for they knew the score, yes sure they knew it was a school but I am sure they didn't expect ignorant idiots to park in their driveways, that is tersspassing by law you know.
freakybritgal
says...
12:55am Tue 23 Jun 09
slumdog
says...
11:52pm Tue 23 Jun 09
You should try leaving earlier and walk them to school. It would be better for you and your kids and everyone else. It is exactly what I did myself when my kids were in Primary.
What do they think we are?
says...
9:25am Wed 24 Jun 09
Over recent years we have had a new crossing put in, an island built, new gateways to the school, to make it easier and safer for kids to get to school.
But still they come in cars, parking illeagaly and quite stupidly, blocking driveways, questionable driving abilities (and this include the dads too!).
Primary age children should be within walking distance to their school (to coincide with the catchment rule), there should be no need for cars (except rare cases, i.e disabled), and on some hot days, its obvious how many can walk to school, as many of the cars are noticably missing at 8:45 and 3:15.
So why the need to drive those couple of hundred yards when the weather clouds over? This is the UK, that covers 10 months of the year, and 1 month of the summer they're on holidays anyway!
Primary schools are built around small residential estates for those children to attend. There's barely enough parking for the families who live there with 2-3 car families. and then evry weekday, twice a day, we are swarmed by unecessary cars. And along the main road, parked both sides, getting children in/out of car on side where the road is!?!?!? Its a disaster waiting to happen, I just hope its not me driving down there at the time!
Secondary schools maybe farther between, and i know many teens get the bus or walk with friends, so why do we have a similar problem down the road at the secondary school? They're older and able to walk a little further than young children. They probably like the independance. Shame those that do walk, they dangerously walk along the kerb of road and on the road because there is no pavement!!!
slumdog
says...
11:39am Wed 24 Jun 09
What do they think we are? wrote:Absolutely right!
I live local to primary school, in birkenhead. Over recent years we have had a new crossing put in, an island built, new gateways to the school, to make it easier and safer for kids to get to school. But still they come in cars, parking illeagaly and quite stupidly, blocking driveways, questionable driving abilities (and this include the dads too!). Primary age children should be within walking distance to their school (to coincide with the catchment rule), there should be no need for cars (except rare cases, i.e disabled), and on some hot days, its obvious how many can walk to school, as many of the cars are noticably missing at 8:45 and 3:15. So why the need to drive those couple of hundred yards when the weather clouds over? This is the UK, that covers 10 months of the year, and 1 month of the summer they're on holidays anyway! Primary schools are built around small residential estates for those children to attend. There's barely enough parking for the families who live there with 2-3 car families. and then evry weekday, twice a day, we are swarmed by unecessary cars. And along the main road, parked both sides, getting children in/out of car on side where the road is!?!?!? Its a disaster waiting to happen, I just hope its not me driving down there at the time! Secondary schools maybe farther between, and i know many teens get the bus or walk with friends, so why do we have a similar problem down the road at the secondary school? They're older and able to walk a little further than young children. They probably like the independance. Shame those that do walk, they dangerously walk along the kerb of road and on the road because there is no pavement!!!
themilkybarkid
says...
9:29pm Sat 27 Jun 09
scarebear
says...
12:55am Sun 28 Jun 09
scarebear
says...
3:12pm Sun 28 Jun 09
scarebear wrote:i apologise if i offended anyone with my comments above. i live somewhere where people are always blocking my drive and it's really congested that's why i always stick up for them!!! sorry guys!!
'At a time when the council wishes to decimate library services it is spending thousands of pounds in snooping on my constituents'Your article on the "spy" car was RUBBISH. firstly, it's not exactly a "spy" car is it? IT'S GOT CCTV WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!!! Are the people of Wirral too stupid to see it?? If you park incorrectly or are committing a crime, YES you should be annoyed/worried by it. But if you park correctly and are behaving yourself, what have you got to worry about. Traffic wardens allow towns to keep moving and allow everyone a fair parking system, without them we will have congestion CHAOS!! I am sick of all the whinging every week about it. IF YOU PARK RIGHT, THERE'S NO PROBLEM SO ALL PLEASE CAN YOU SHUT UP. Your article contradicted itself too. Apparently in the 1st paragraph the council are paying for it. At the end a council spokesperson said it's at no extra cost to the council and is paid for by NSL services so get your facts straight before you print please.
Roger Rabbit
says...
11:47pm Sun 28 Jun 09
piggymalone
says...
8:24pm Mon 29 Jun 09
Jackie Chimp says...
1:16pm Fri 19 Jun 09
Globe reader says: "The choice of a Smart car was obviously deliberate, it's size enabling it to hide effectively in a row of parked cars to carry out it's dastardly business."
Jackie Chimp says: "perhaps they chose a Smart car as it is more efficient to run than a 3.0l BMW or Chelsea tractor? If a Smart car was chosen to be 'sneaky' I think painting CCTV on the side and having a telescopic arm on the roof might just give the game away, what do you think?"
Don't quite know what the problem is? But I am sure there will be plenty of people shouting 'big brother culture' any second now...