Supporting the public: meet our Parking Services team

We spoke to Rangzeb, Nawab and James about their roles as Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) — why their work is important, what it involves, and why it’s “not just about issuing tickets.”

Rangzeb: The key part of our job is to keep traffic flowing, and one way of doing that is by making sure that people don’t park where they’re not supposed to. In residential areas, people pay for resident permits, so we need to make sure that other people don’t park there. We also patrol schools and keep children safe. That can be quite tough, but it’s a vital part of the job. There are also shops that have half an hour of free parking, but many people leave their cars there all day — which affects local businesses.

Nawab: We patrol the streets. We watch out for incidents, anything that might be defective or dangerous, and we direct people to different places and so forth. If we happen to come across someone parking incorrectly, the first thing is to move them along. A ticket is the last resort. Nobody’s under any pressure to issue any tickets, and no targets are put on us.

Rangzeb: Throughout the lockdown, we didn’t issue many tickets. People’s perception of us changed during that time, especially in villages — when residents saw people parking where they shouldn’t, they would tell us about it and thank us for our help. People were pleased to see us because there’s reassurance in seeing somebody in uniform, especially for the elderly.

One day, there was a doctor who couldn’t get to work because someone had blocked their driveway. We do important things like that — making sure that people can come in and out of their own properties. I’ve had to pay off tickets for my own kids a few times because they’ve parked in a residents’ zone to get something from a nearby shop. It’s one of those things — people appreciate us until they get a ticket!

James: And the job is not just about issuing tickets. We have to treat everybody fairly; that’s a key part of the training I’ve received.

Nawab: I moved from being a full-time CEO to a part-time CEO and part-time trainer as well, about three years ago. I’m training people like James and sharing my experience and helping them become part of the service. We receive Health and Safety and GDPR training, and there are lots of online courses to choose from.

James: The training has been detailed and I’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time — Nawab’s really good at teaching and explains the theory side well, plus the practical side of it on the street so I know how to deal with situations.

Rangzeb: Between us, we have a vast amount of experience, too. Our team is solid.

Nawab: We have such a good team of people — that’s my favourite part of working here. It makes it easier to go in every day knowing you have a team who will always back you up.

We are currently seeking Civil Enforcement Officers to keep traffic moving, help families stay safe around school areas, and ensure access to emergency services and residents. Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/3TdAZBq