Dartmoor rangers 'verbally abused, threatened and flashed' says park authority

Rangers on Dartmoor say they have been verbally abused, flashed at, threatened and chased.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority is considering introducing body worn cameras as a result of an increase in hostile behaviour.

In a report, head of organisational development Neil White said while incidents are rare, they are "unacceptable".

He added: “This is a very small proportion of the many people who do enjoy Dartmoor, but the verbal abuse of our staff appears to be increasing and, in addition, we have had rangers who have been flashed at, threatened with a mallet and chased.

"These incidents are, thankfully, rare but even one such incident is unacceptable. The authority, like all employers, has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of its employees."

The plan to introduce body worn cameras for a pilot or trial period could run for two years.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our staff is a primary consideration in this proposal," Mr White said.

"It is not acceptable that rangers have been subject to abuse and feel threatened in certain situations. By equipping them with body worn cameras we hope they will be able towork in a safer environment and the attitudes and behaviour of a small minority of the public will be modified.”

The pilot would cost around £8,000. Rangers will be expected to record when they are verbally abused or threatened, and could be given powers to issue 'community protection notices'.