Met targets Blue Badge abuse
In an effect to clamp down on the increasing abuse of the blue badge scheme for disabled motorists, a new database has been
lauched, storing records of lost, stolen & fraudulent Blue bages across London.
Almost 4,000 badges were reported in the year ending 31st March 2005, & the rate of theft is rising steadily. The
Metropoltian Police has identified that a growing proportion of thefts from cars involve Blue Badges. In some areas, such as the London Borough of Tower
Hamlets as many as one in three badges displayed are stolen.
Borough, Police & Transport for London (TfL) administration staff will be able to acess the database, which may be
extended to street enforement offices via handheld devices. This will enable Traffic Wardens, Traffic Police, Community Support Officers & parking
attendants to check if a displayed badge is listed on the database.
Patrick Troy, Head of Traffic Enforement at TfL, commented: "The Blue Badge scheme is desighed to make travelling
easier for disabled people. However, the scheme is being abused in a number of ways - for example, Blue Badges are being stolen & people are using
priority parking spaces they don't need, meaning they are not availble to genuine Blue Badge holders."
The database has been commissioned by the Enforcement Task Force, which includes representativees from TfL, the Metropolitan
Police, City of London & Association of London Goveernment.

