SECURITY STAKEOUT
ALARMS ISSUED TO DUDLEY DRIVERS ON TAXI ROBBERY
Dudley cabbies have been issued with per- sonal alarms after a colleague was robbed as he dropped off pas- sengers.
The driver had his mobile phone and cash stolen after he took three men to Cradley on 10 July. The 54-year-old picked them up from
Digbeth at 7am. They threatened him and fled down an alleyway. Two hundred alarms have now been handed out by Dudley borough Taxi Watch forum. Shaz Saleem, chair- man of Dudley Private Hire and Taxi Associa- tion and member of Dudley’s Taxi Watch, told the Express and
Star: “Taxi drivers can be very vulnerable. We are pleased to have ongoing support from the police and council.” Sgt Steve Gordon of Stourbridge police said reported disputes between drivers and passengers had fallen since officers began working closely with them.
CARDIFF TAXIS GET CAMERAS TO THWART FARE DODGERS
Taxis in Cardiff are to be fitted with CCTV as drivers complain about fare dodging. The annual general meeting of the Union of Taxi Drivers was told by members that passen- gers, mostly late-night revellers, continued to avoid paying.
Now an initial trial involving a small num- ber of cars will see them fitted with two inward-facing cameras and an interactive HD TV screen advertising coming attractions in Cardiff. Installations began last month. The CCTV will be live
as soon as the engine is switched on until ten minutes after it is switched off and all footage will be down- loaded to an external hard drive.
Drivers are being offered the £1,000 sys- tem fully insured for free. The system is already installed in New York and Shang- hai, and is endorsed by Cardiff Council. At a meeting attended by more than 50 mem- bers, many drivers said often when they reported fare-dodging to police they were told it was a civil mat-
ter. But South Wales Police’s Nick Bellamy said civil matters only arose where passen- gers had a genuine grievance with the size of the fare or service provided.
He endorsed taxi driv- ers’ calls for the loss of their livelihood to be taken seriously.
Sergeant Bellamy told the South Wales Echo: “The only way we are going to do it is by educating other offi- cers who don’t know the law. We want you to continue your serv- ice and we are committed to helping.”
WELLINGBOROUGH DRIVERS WARY OF ESTATE IN DARKNESS
Residents of a Wellingborough estate fear they could be left stranded as taxi driv- ers say they are wary about taking jobs in the area since its street lights were switched off.
The Hemmingwell estate in Wellingbor- ough was plunged into darkness last month when Northampton- shire County Council’s cost-cutting plan to switch off street lights reached the borough. Barry Liffen, chairman of the Wellingborough Taxi Drivers’ Associa- tion, told the North- ants Evening Tele- graph: “It’s one of our worst places for pick- ups, and taxi drivers
have been mugged. Our drivers are very worried and on edge about going down there now because it’s so dark.
“Drivers might stop going down there completely. It’s very dark, especially at the bottom of the estate. “I think they should have been more selec- tive when they were turning off the lights and looked more closely at it if there was a high crime rate. “We don’t get out of our cars now, we just phone the person to tell them we are out- side.” Wellingborough taxi driver Karl Morrissey said: “Everyone will be
more wary of dropping off down there now because it’s so much darker. The county council seems to have switched off the lights in the footpath areas on the estate, but I think that needs to be looked at sensibly.” The chairman of the Hemmingwell Resi- dents’ Association said: “We feel unsafe and if we can’t get out because taxis won’t come down to the estate, we will be pris- oners, especially in the winter time.” Ken Murdin, 88, of Highfield Road, Wel- lingborough, added: “I can’t see the point in them turning the lights off in areas like that.”
CALL FOR CALM AFTER SPATE OF ATTACKS ON BOLTON DRIVERS
Private hire drivers have been repeatedly attacked in a series of incidents across Bolton.
Nick Astley, managing director at Metro Cars, has already offered a £1,000 reward to any-
one who can provide information that leads to the conviction of the yobs who attack taxi drivers.
He told the Bolton News: “There are a few yobs causing trou- ble and if a driver is off because of it they could lose a week’s wages. It is soul- destroying. One or two drivers have had to go to hospital.” In the latest attacks a driver had his window smashed at 8.15pm on a recent Friday when he asked a passenger for the fare in Breight- met. And at about 9.30pm the next day, a man kicked a taxi dri- ver’s front passenger door when he asked for payment. And another driver had a passenger window smashed.
Mr Astley said when an incident happens all drivers nearby will assist.
He hopes criminals will be deterred if they see the sentences
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given to people who attack drivers.
Mr Astley said: “We are doing 50,000 jobs, moving 125,000 peo- ple every week. It is a very small percentage of people who are causing trouble, spoil- ing it for everybody.” CCTV has been installed in some cars and others are getting stickers in their cars warning passengers that the cars are fitted with cameras. Police are also urging taxi drivers to report attacks.
Sgt John Boyce, of the Bolton East Neigh- bourhood Policing Team, said: “Private hire vehicles perform a vital part of our trans- port network and they should be able to oper- ate in a safe and secure environment without the fear of injury or damage to their cars.
“I want to reassure all taxi drivers that we take any report from them seriously.”
PHTM AUGUST 2011
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