A civil enforcement officer is a person employed to enforce parking, traffic and other restrictions and laws in England & Wales. In England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, they are employed by county council

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...

s, London Borough Councils, metropolitan district councils or Transport for London

Transport for London

Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...

, and in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 by county (borough) council

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...

s - or private companies contracted by any of the above. Until the passage of the Traffic Management Act 2004, they were known as "Parking Attendants".

Powers

Civil enforcement officers may only exercise their functions when wearing a uniform authorised by the Secretary of State. They may issue Penalty Charge Notices for numerous offences, and can inspect and confiscate blue badges. They may immobilise vehicles

Wheel clamp

A wheel clamp, also known as wheel boot or Denver boot, is a device that is designed to prevent vehicles from being moved. In its most common form, it consists of a clamp that surrounds a vehicle wheel, designed to prevent removal of both itself and the wheel.In the United States, these devices...

. Penalty charge notices are not criminal proceedings, and failure to pay will result in certificated bailiffs serving warrants of execution

Warrant of execution

A Warrant of Execution is a form of writ of execution used in British courts. It is a method of enforcing judgments and empowers a County Court bailiff to attend a judgment debtor’s address to take goods for sale.-Procedure:...

.They may issue penalties for several moving violations, among them driving in bus lanes, executing prohibited turns and driving the wrong way on a one way system. They may penalize for failure to display valid road tax. Civil enforcement officers employed by some authorities issue fixed penalties for locally enacted ordinances such as environmental crime ranging from fly-tipping

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping is a British term for dumping waste illegally instead of in an authorised rubbish dump. It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, i.e...

to spitting, and anti-social behaviour such as noise violations and truancy, in addition to issuing tickets for parking and traffic violations.