Body-worn cameras for rangers on the Broads scrapped

A trial in the summer found abuse and violence towards staff increased

Author: Owen Sennitt, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 11th Nov 2024

Plans to introduce new technology to help quell abuse and violence on the region’s waterways have been scrapped after it was found the equipment caused tension to flare even more.

The Broads Authority has decided it will not introduce body cameras for staff following a trial this summer.

It had hoped the gear would help stop rangers from getting into disputes with rowdy boaters amid a rising tide of bad behaviour on the waterways.

But it discovered it had the opposite effect.

Rob Rogers, director of operations at the Broads Authority, told Navigation Committee members this week that the £14,500 scheme would not go ahead.

He said: "In recent years there has been an increase in abuse and violent behaviour towards staff.

"We set up the two-week trial for rangers and yacht station staff following these concerns about safety.

"But the overriding feeling was that rather than calming situations down, the cameras inflamed them.

"We will not tolerate bad behaviour but these cameras did not mitigate that."

Mr Rogers added that staff are already adequately prepared to deal with these situations and know to "walk away if it gets nasty."

Members of the committee agreed this was the right decision, particularly as it would save the cash-strapped authority £14,500.

Bad behaviour on Broads

Officials hoped the cameras would help to discourage anti-social and abusive behaviour, and gather evidence for use in prosecutions.

It followed a series of high-profile incidents on the waterways and a period when the BA has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism.

In April, William Emmerson, 35, appeared in court accused of painting a string of four-letter insults and Nazi references towards the authority on his houseboat as part of a protest.

​When a Broads ranger confronted him he was threatened and told it was a "f** art installation".

In the same month, police investigated an incident at Irstead Staithe where a pair of foul-mouthed fishermen were filmed in a row with a boater, kicking his cruiser as he attempted to moor.

At the same time, there have been tensions between boaters and the BA over increasing toll fees, which have risen by 30% in the last three years.