It’s a common misconception that parking inspectors are “public enemies” intent on filling a monthly parking fine quota.

This is just one of the many stereotypes Darryn Johnson is looking to break.

The affable parking inspector, who enjoys taking his kids to the south coast or “just being around Canberra’s nature” on the weekends, wants to reaffirm to the community that he is human, just like everyone else.

“For me, the most enjoyable part of the role is getting out and engaging with the Canberra community, because that’s what I love to do,” Darryn said.

“It’s about educating people that we’re really just trying to keep the community ticking. We don’t have quotas - it doesn’t matter if we get one or forty infringements per day. There are all good reasons for why we do what we do, for example keeping loading zones clear for business deliveries, keeping carparks moving so people can go to the doctor, making sure kids can walk safely in school zones or ensuring disabled parking is available for those who need it.

“Particularly around school zones, it’s very important that we are there to monitor parking around schools for pick up and drop offs, to ensure kids are getting to and from school safely.”

Darryn Johnson

Before embarking on a career as a parking inspector, Darryn worked as an analyst for The Department of Defence until a motorcycle accident left him in hospital for 18 months.

“This has been one of the first jobs I’ve had since the accident, and in a way, I’ve had to start again,” he said.

“But it also means I’ve been passionate about making sure people follow the rules with disabled parking, because I know how hard it can be to find a disabled park. I see people who aren’t disabled using a family members’ disabled pass, and there’s a sense of entitlement there. I always ask them to put themselves in the position of a person with a disability.”

At 25, Darryn’s colleague Hayden Stevenson is one of the youngest in the team. With a background as a car salesman, he believes his sales and customer service experience has come in handy as a parking inspector.

“As well as having a thick skin, you need an ability to negotiate and diffuse certain situations,” Hayden said.

“Often you’re dealing with people’s emotions running at a high, and one thing I take away every day is that they’re not aggressive with me as a person, it’s the uniform.”

Hayden Stevenson

Darryn agrees, explaining “it’s about going through the situation in a calm way.”

“I’ve had a woman who started by swearing at me and by the end of our conversation she thanked me and told me to have a great day. Sometimes it’s all about the right communication and that’s a great skill to have,” he said.

Despite this, Darryn and Hayden are pleased to report that the majority of their interactions with the community have been positive.

Working in the licence plate recognition vehicle, South-African born Gavin Floyd uses recognition technology to detect the amount of time vehicles have stayed in a parking space. Gavin believes another misconception about the role is that it isn’t a “real” job.

“We just chose a different career or path in our lives,” he said.

“I chose this job because I enjoy getting in the van every day and driving around in the community.”

Gavin Floyd

Since COVID-19, on-foot parking inspectors have worked in pairs for their safety, after a number of concerning assault cases.

“The abuse got a lot worse after COVID – it got to a point where one parking inspector was beaten and hospitalised” said Gavin.

There have been incidents of damage to government vehicles and assaults on parking officers.

“The public need to understand this isn’t something to laugh off and has serious consequences. We’re authorised officers enforcing legislation. We shouldn’t have to be put in the position where we are fearing for our safety when we’re on the frontline.”

Haydon believes it’s a great job for any young person wanting to enter the public service.

“It teaches you how to have thick skin, how to interact with people and self-discipline. It’s really a great career path.”