FUNCTIONS OF TRAFFIC WARDENS (SCOTLAND) ORDER 1966 (Hansard, 24 February 1966)

§ LORD HUGHES

My Lords, I beg to move that the draft Functions of Traffic Wardens (Scotland) Order, 1966, laid before the House on February 8, and reported by your Lordships' Special Orders Committee on February 16, be approved. The Draft Order, which is in similar terms to the Order applying to England and Wales which was approved last May, serves to extend the functions of traffic wardens in Scotland to cover those duties normally undertaken by the police in connection with the control and regulation of moving traffic, in particular at road junctions and at other places where congestion is likely to take place. The Draft Order makes it clear that traffic wardens are not authorised to carry out functions which have been conferred expressly on constables. Your Lordships will appreciate that the use of traffic wardens on such tasks will leave the police freer to concentrate on crime prevention and detection. We are sure that wardens can play an important role in lightening the burden of traffic duties performed by the police.

The traffic warden service has not grown as quickly in Scotland as we would wish, and there are only about 120 in service at present. However, an increasing number of authorities are coming forward with proposals for the appointment of wardens and we are hopeful that the Draft Order now before your Lordships will act as further encouragement to local authorities to consider the establishment of warden sections. The Scottish local authority associations and chief constables favour the proposed Order. I beg to move.