- Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards? Email [email protected]
Sadiq Khan has hired a goon squad of thugs with face tattoos wearing skeleton balaclavas to protect his hated Ulez cameras, it has been alleged.
Homeowners in suburban London said the gang of ‘masked heavies’ would often dress in black and hang around schools and homes while recording passersby on body cameras.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have slammed Khan’s antics as ‘intimidation’ and promised they will scrap the Ulez expansion if they win the mayoral election in May.
The TfL claimed the guards are held to ‘high standards of professionalism’ and that they were necessary to protect Ulez cameras from the Blade Runners.
Mother-of-five Claire Dyer, 47, from Biggin Hill in Bromley, claimed concerned residents lived in fear of the Ulez protection gang.
She told MailOnline: ‘You have thuggish security – they don’t need to be behaving the way that they are.
Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards? Email [email protected]
‘All you can see is their eyes. They are wearing masks and balaclavas – even that might have skeletons on them.
‘Dressing all in black with body cameras all in masks.
‘They seem to be above the law.
‘They say they are a TFL representative but they don’t actually work for TFL. It’s such a grey area.
‘Why are they trying to harass people?
‘We are not aggressive or violent, just every day people. We are not hardened criminals.
‘It feels like there has been a direct order to get us accused of something we haven’t [done].
‘We are not inner city London. We have elderly [people] who live in the area who now can’t leave their homes.
‘Sadiq Khan is very powerful. You are going up against powerful people and we are just normal citizens.
‘We don’t know what’s going on.’
Neil Garratt, the leader of City Hall Conservatives, said: ‘Like Dick Turpin, Mayor Khan’s modern day masked highwayman like to hide their faces.
‘As they stand guard over his Ulez detector vans by schools and homes, these masked heavies make a menacing site in suburban London.
‘Mr Khan rarely deigns to visit these parts, so his Ulez goon squad are now the face of his flagship vehicle toll, hitting outer London to raise cash for TfL, cash which we know he will spend somewhere else.’
Mother-of-five Claire has seen first-hand what Khan’s goon squad is capable of.
She saw the moment driving instructor and anti-Ulez campaigner Heather Watts was struck by a security car guarding one of Sadiq Khan’s hated camera vans.
Heather was standing in front of the car on Biggin Hill, when it appeared to drive into her, leaving her legs with severe bruising.
She was left on crutches because of the crash and said she thought she was going to go beneath the car.
Footage showed anti-Ulez campaigners screaming and hitting the security car as it appeared to hit Heather’s legs before driving after her as she hobbled away.
One of the campaigners begged for the car to stop before he shouted for the police and asked passers-by to call an ambulance.
Meanwhile, the car drove off without stopping to check on Heather’s condition.
At the time, Claire told MailOnline that Ulez security guards were ‘roaming our streets on a daily basis’.
She said since then the goon squad have not been ‘acting professionally at all’ and had been seen ‘pushing’ people.
Claire said they had been ‘pulled off the streets for a few days’ but have now started appearing again.
She said there were ‘safeguarding issues’ as the heavies had been within 500m of a special needs school while thought to be recording passersby.
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall said: ‘Sadiq Khan’s masked Ulez enforcers intimidating and scaring locals is outrageous.
‘Londoners deserve respect, not fear.
‘I will put an end to this intimidation by scrapping the Ulez expansion on day one if elected in May.’
TfL said the security guards wore plain, dark clothes while on the job and were also allowed to wear hats.
It refused to comment on the guards wearing balaclavas and masks but said the use of mobile camera vans will be reviewed continually to ensure the Ulez was being enforced effectively.
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘Our security workers are directed not to wear face coverings unless they feel threatened by being closely filmed.
‘Wearing of medical masks is permitted. We will remind our contractors of the situations when they can be worn.
They added: ‘We have hired a small number of qualified security staff who are suitably licensed by the Security Industry Authority, due to ongoing criminal damage to Ulez cameras and vehicles.
‘They are held to high standards of professionalism.
‘Unfortunately, our contractors have been subjected to threats and abuse while carrying out their duties so they are advised to record any issues on body-worn cameras to deescalate conflict and if necessary, record evidence for police investigations.
‘Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.
‘Criminal damage to Ulez cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public.
‘Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
‘We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme.
‘Across both inner and outer London, 95 per cent of vehicles overall seen driving in London on an average day now comply with the Ulez emissions standards.’
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) said: ‘We are in ongoing liaison with the client and the security businesses responsible for this contract to ensure that all legal requirements under the Private Security Industry 2001 are met.
‘SIA licence holders are not employed by the SIA. We take our responsibility to protect the public very seriously.
‘We want to know when people working in the private security industry break the law or do something that might bring the industry into disrepute.
‘You can tell us here: www.gov.uk/report-security-staff-or-companies.’
Sadiq Khan did not respond to a request for comment.
Do YOU know any of the Ulez guards? Email [email protected]
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
