Low hit rate in blue badge operation

Camden Council officers inspected 965 blue badges in vehicles on the streets in a two week operation from 22 June to 3 July.

And the outcome? 15 fraudulently used badges were recovered. Hardly a triumph bearing in mind that enforcement operations caught 140 offenders during 2008.

Each offender was fined £240, raising a total of £3,120 for the Council. The Council will now seek to prosecute all the holders of the fraudulent badges.

Finding the money for the operation wasn't straightforward. The blue badge fraud operations are carried out by the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP).

This operation was funded by the Vehicle Crime Working Group, made up of representatives from residents' groups, Camden Council and the police.

Plenty of scope for planning meetings there then.