Marcus enjoys his city blue badge patrols - despite the stab-proof vest

COMPLIANCE OFFICER BELIEVES HIS WORK MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE

- By LOUIS CORBETT

THE team knows every car parked in the city centre displaying a blue badge.

They walk from street to street each day, differing their patrols, learning where and when people are using their badges to park easily around the city, so when they spot something out of the ordinary, they investigate.

When Marcus Hall, a compliance and fraud officer, talked to the Post on his rounds on a dreary Friday morning, he showed us what his day looks like.

The team goes from car to car, checking registration numbers of blue badge holders. The team always needs to do its due diligence to check if people are up to date and find out whether badges are being used by the right people.

Marcus said: “Blue badge enforcement can depend on a lot of different factors, like the weather. Lots more people come to town when it’s raining, and it can be busier when events are on.

“You are going to be suspicious of everyone. You learn who's a regular. For example, if the officers spot a blue badge that they haven't seen before, they will check it.”

When Marcus finds a car with a badge that doesn’t quite add up, he phones the owner to see if they are using the space or if it's a misuse.