VIOLENCE AGAINT CABBIES
THE DANGEROUS TRUTH OF BEING A CABBIE AFTER TWO DRIVERS BRUTALLY KILLED IN WEST MIDLANDS
Taxi drivers are being attacked somewhere in the West Midlands most weeks as they go out onto the roads to do their jobs and earn money for their families, shocking figures obtained by
the
Birmingham Mail have revealed. The Mail’s investigation, following the horrific killings of two taxi drivers in the region, has highlighted just how vulnerable they are, as they never know who is going to get into their cab. Driver Anakh Singh, 59, was killed in a sickening attack
in
Wolverhampton last October during which he was headbutted, punched and kicked on the floor as devastating violence was meted out following a row over a fare. Then just a few weeks later cabbie Mohammed Istakhar, 44, was attacked and left for dead in Solihull as his car was stolen. Both harrowing cases have been in court in recent weeks, putting the safety of taxi drivers firmly back into the spotlight and acting as a reminder of the risks they take when going out onto the roads late at night. Data the newspaper has uncovered only further illustrates that fact, with helpless drivers, often out on quiet roads in isolated areas in the small hours, commonly being beaten and battered. West Midlands Police was asked for details of incidents which had involved taxi drivers since the start of 2021. There were 577 reports of assault without injury and another 247 reports of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, where injury is caused. There were
another 84 of 28
malicious wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm, where the victim suffered a serious injury. Some 243 incidents saw drivers receive harassment, alarm or distress, while there were 232 cases of ‘fear of provocation of violence’. There were 108 reports of robbery involving taxi drivers and 104 of racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress. It’s possible some incidents may have been placed in more than one offence
category but it
nevertheless gives an indication of how many cases police have to deal with. It also shows how common violence involving taxi drivers is, with these hardworking family- men seen as easy targets as they transport sometimes drunken passengers across the region. There will likely be other incidents which are never reported. Last week, Thomasz Margol was locked up for ten years for the manslaughter of Mr Singh while Oliver Pugh, 19, was found guilty of murdering Mr Istakhar in the separate attacks just a few weeks apart. Imran Shafiq, chair of the Dudley Taxi Association, told last year how attacks on cabbies were becoming an increasing concern. He said: “A trend we’re seeing now is a lot of people not paying for taxis. They just get out and walk off and when a driver confronts them, they
either get abused or
physically abused. “We’re helpless. There is really nothing we can do. The police; sometimes they help, sometimes they don’t.”
NPHTA comment: On the one hand, we would like to thank the police for such a detailed report, which was presented in a recent liaison meeting with Wolver- hampton; but on the other hand, what a shocking realisation of just how bad it really is out there for drivers. The fact is, this is not limited to the West Midlands, this is a national epidemic which has grown at an alarming rate, more
recently
including attacks and murders in Glasgow, London, Rochdale and many more regions throughout the UK. We have published several articles on this subject to highlight how dire it really is, and yet all we hear repeatedly is: “We have a duty to protect the public”, to which we always respond by saying: “Yes, but that simply MUST include the safety and protection of drivers.” Your safety, your protection, your lives, and your wellbeing must be protected. Remember, without you at the wheel, there is no service, there is no transport, there is no protection of the public, when you are gone, so is the crucial service you provide to the elderly, the infirm, the special education needs children, the party goers, the lone females, the vulnerable adults, the disabled, your community; they ALL rely on YOU. It is good to see many
local
authorities and police forces now recognising this fact, but now we need to see action, support, and punishment to send that message out there that this is simply not acceptable.
AUGUST 2023 PHTM
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