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Caring Traffic warden sacked


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If someone drives up to park on a yellow line and a warden is around, I'd expect them to direct the driver away, not just to ticket them. There is nothing to say the traffic warden in question didn't ticket illegally parked cars, just that he was helpful to people. Being target driven often does not produce the best results. It's a balance in my opinion.

 

I see where your coming from. It's very possible that in nurturing good customer relations that the impulse to park illegally will fade away. I agree that there is no apparent harm in being nice, shame that some are happy to see someone sacked for it.

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I thought he was sacked for warning another driver he was about to be issued a ticket?

 

NSL contract manager Paul Boxali told him in a letter: "You informed the owner of the car that a PCN (penalty charge notice) was being issued with apparent disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the issuing enforcement officer."

 

'disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the issuing enforcement officer'....what's that all about?

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A polite parking warden who claims that he was sacked for refusing to issue large numbers of tickets is being supported by residents and traders in his fight for compensation.

 

Hakim Berkani is also being backed by a vicar in his battle against Kensington and Chelsea council's parking firm NSL. Mr Berkani, 45, today took his claim for unfair dismissal to an employment tribunal in Holborn.

 

Chelsea resident Alasdair Seton-Marsden, a former marketing director, has studied law so that he can represent Mr Berkani at the three-day hearing.

 

In his witness statement, father-of-two Mr Berkani claims that "favours" and store vouchers were awarded to top-performing wardens.

 

He alleges that his bosses cited one colleague as an "excellent example" for issuing 35 tickets in a single shift.

 

Mr Berkani, from Wandsworth, was sacked for gross misconduct last February following more than three years' service, after tipping off a driver who was about to be given a ticket by another warden.

 

NSL contract manager Paul Boxali told him in a letter: "You informed the owner of the car that a PCN (penalty charge notice) was being issued with apparent disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the issuing enforcement officer."

 

NSL also claimed that the GMB union safety representative showed "disregard" for his line manager's "authority".

 

Ten Chelsea residents and businesses were so appalled at Mr Berkani's treatment that they gave character references in support of his case. The Reverend Canon David Reindorp, of Chelsea Old Church, wrote: "Mr Berkani was courteous and tactful... I always thought he was an object lesson in how to do a tricky job well."

 

King's Road wine merchant Edward Farmer wrote: "Since the council have been able to keep the financial surplus from parking enforcement, both I and other business owners and residents have noticed a serious deterioration.

 

"One ray of light amongst all this madness and greed that is civil parking enforcement was Hakim Berkani.

 

"Mr Berkani was in my and my business partner's opinion, an extremely rare and valuable thing: a public servant with an attitude of putting other people, in this case the public, first."

 

NSL spokesman Nabil Hanafi said: "We instruct all of our officers to issue tickets according to clear rules and regulations. There is no financial incentive for NSL to issue tickets and we are very strictly regulated to ensure any tickets issued are legitimate."

 

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24025140-sacked-the-caring-traffic-warden-who-didnt-like-handing-out-parking-tickets.do

 

 

 

Has this bloke been redepolyed so he can deal with drug dealers, people who beat old grannys to a pulp or people who kick small pets around like footballs?

 

As he is lenient, he would be perfect for this type of role.

 

As for using common sense and being lenient towards the law abiding, this guy was in the wrong job

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This is the bit of the public statement that resonates with me:-

 

'Mr Berkani was in my and my business partner's opinion, an extremely rare and valuable thing: a public servant with an attitude of putting other people, in this case the public, first."'

 

Isn't a traffic warden's job to stop people parking illegally, and to ensure people stick to the rules? If he was politely asking people to move on rather than just handing out fines, then IMO he was doing his job of serving the community in a way that the community appreciated. And shouldn't people working in the public sector be doing their best to help the public whenever its appropriate?

 

It appears as if the council in question were mainly concerned about getting money in from fines and were completely target driven (35 tickets in one shift). I'm impressed by the support he has from local residents/taxpayers.

 

If I employed someone in my store to sell things, I wouldn’t expect that employee to tell people where to buy the items cheaper, although it may be considered a nice thing to do it wouldn’t help my business and he would be sacked. The council employed him to give tickets to illegally parked drivers, if he didn’t and just told them to move on then he wasn’t do his job. I would expect the police to prosecute a criminal not just tell them they shouldn’t be breaking into that house and ask them to move on.

 

And any revenue the council makes out of unlawful citizens is less for everyone else to pay out.

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Kensington and Chelea is the most affluent borough in the UK.I would love the traffic there to become gridlocked and fully support the leniency of the traffic warden,as igt might allow the affluent residents to familiarise themselves with those issues which impact upon the hoi paloi.

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