Cumberland City Council Mayor Lisa Lake has called on the community to be kinder to parking patrol officers and rangers, after it was revealed council staff have reported numerous instances of assault.
A new anti-violence campaign designed to curb assaults towards council staff, including parking patrol officers and rangers, is being rolled out by Cumberland Council.
Encouraging the community to “see past the uniform”, the campaign will attempt to reduce violence and improve the working conditions and environment for staff.
The campaign comes after a report detailing incidents of assault against council staff revealed there were over 65 reported incidents of either physical or verbal assault, between January 2020 and April 2022, with many other incidents unreported.
The majority of the assaults were reported at school pick up/drop off zones, parking lots, at town centres and along suburban streets across the Cumberland Local Government Area (LGA), including locations in Auburn, Guildford, Granville, Lidcombe and Merrylands.
Cr Lake encouraged the community to take on-board the campaign’s message and to be respectful to all council staff.
“These incidents of abuse and assault are just unacceptable. Alarmingly, a lot of these incidents are happening throughout our town centres, school zones, and residential streets where staff are out just doing their job,” she said.
“Everyone deserves to work in a safe environment. I implore the community to work together to be kinder to our rangers and officers who are doing their best every day to ensure our safety.”
Staff putting their safety at risk is a situation Cr Lake said the council would not accept.
“These incidents have made staff feel concerned for their safety at work, it has impacted their stress levels and heightened anxiety while on the job,” she said.
The incidents reportedly became so concerning that the WHS Committee intervened to ensure the council had taken all the necessary steps to make the working environment as safe as possible.
“We hope that by raising awareness about this concerning issue, our community will better understand the impacts that this disrespectful behaviour has on our staff,” Cr Lake said.
“Council understands that nobody likes to receive a fine, but there are mechanisms in place to dispute the penalty if the person receiving it feels it was incorrectly issued. Violence towards our staff is not the answer.”
A parking patrol officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the verbal and physical abuse they experienced made them scared for their safety.
“My job as a parking patrol officer is one that helps the community, especially at local schools where it is so easy for children to be injured by cars,” they said.
“When I’m approached by an aggressive person for doing my job it makes me feel belittled, scared for my safety and the safety of my co-workers. I leave home hoping to have a safe day at work.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.