Police can now instantly identify Blue Badge misusers SCOTLAND ONLY

Police officers in Scotland can now immediately identify people who misuse Blue Badge disabled parking permits after an agreement was reached with local authorities.

 

The agreement, with all 32 local authorities in Scotland, now means that officers can access real-time information on the Blue Badge Improvement Service database, allowing them to immediately identify people who are abusing the scheme.

 

The main thrust of extending access to the database for Police Scotland is to allow better enforcement and to support local authorities in identifying misuse of disabled parking permits. The administration and management of the scheme remains the responsibility of local authorities.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/news/2016/january/police-can-now-instantly-identify-blue-badge-misusers

Let's hope that whilst they're checking the bona fides of blue badge users, they're also coming down like a ton of bricks on all the people who misuse disabled spaces.

About time.

Drat that it is just in Scotland at present.

Here in London blue badges have pictures of the holder.

Seen some ceo wait for the "disabled" to come back to check if they we're the holder of the blue badge.

I agree with this practice for once

My blue badge also has a photo - I think they all do now - but it's on the back of the badge and not designed to be displayed.

All blue badges have a photo of the holder. This photo is on the REVERSE as must never be left on display as it is the FRONT that any CEO needs to read.

For anyone unsure as to the use of a blue badge I hope this will help clarify.

A blue badge can ONLY be used when the person to whom the badge is issued is either in the car at the point it is parked, or is about to be collected by said car from the place that the car is parked.

You cannot drop your disabled mum off on the corner, then drive 300yds down the road to park and display the badge. You can park where you drop her, or not display the badge.

If the holder is the driver and parks then the holder leaves the vehicle for whatever reason (shopping, doctors etc) that is fine. BUT the holder cannot park, display the badge and then sit in the car whilst their passengers go shopping even if it is on behalf of the badge holder as they do not need to occupy a blue badge space nor park on restrictions as the able bodied person can walk like anyone else to a normal car parking space.

Likewise, people cannot use the badge themselves whilst shopping on behalf of the BB holder.

Local Authorities are at last clamping down on this. CEO's, the police and the council blue badge investigators have the right to inspect the badge at any time. They also often read the badge when parked and telephone the actual BB holder at home, at which point they know they are not using it.

Prosecute every single time in my opinion!