TERROR TIMES...
LEEDS TAXI DRIVER KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS AFTER YOBS CHUCKED BRICK THROUGH CAR WINDOW
A taxi driver was knocked unconscious after a group of yobs chucked a brick through his car window. LeedsLive reports that police were called to York Road in Leeds on Bonfire Night after reports that a group of youths were throwing rocks and stones at passing cars. Police received reports of a large group on a field next to the A64 York Road and its junction with Moresdale Lane in a chaotic Bonfire Night. The driver of a taxi reported being hit on the head by a brick thrown through the front passenger window of his car. He lost consciousness and was taken to hospital by ambulance for treat- ment. His injuries were found not to be as serious as first thought and he was later discharged.
READING DRIVER THREATENED WITH KNIFE
A taxi driver has been held at knife- point and forced to hand over cash. According to the Reading Chronicle, Thames Valley Police said a man was parked in his taxi in Valentia Road, Reading, on 19 November. A man then got into the taxi between 10.30pm and 10.45pm and told the victim to drive to Forbury Gardens. The attacker threatened the victim with a knife outside the Forbury Hotel and demanded money. Police said the vic- tim handed over a £20 note and managed to get out the car, the offend- er then fled through the graveyard and onto Friar Street. Investigator Chelsea Hughes said: “Thankfully the victim in this case was not injured, however it was a terrifying ordeal for him. “I am appealing for witnesses to this incident, or anyone who may have information, to please come forward.”
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some measures in place but they’re still falling short, given the seriousness of the situation. Following Thursday night’s incident, Mr Afzal has now called for police to tackle the issue “at grassroots” by edu- cating children in schools about the dangers of throw- ing objects at passing vehicles. He continued: “We told police last year that some- thing like this would happen and that it was only a matter
There were also reports of four to five vehicles, including a bus, being dam- aged, and a female passenger in another taxi received minor injuries after a stone was thrown at the vehicle she was travelling in. The road was closed and the scene was subject to forensic examination by detectives from Leeds District CID. Detective Inspector Guy Shackleton said: “We are treating this incident very seriously and are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify those involved. It is very clear that their completely mind- less actions could have had far worse consequences.” However, despite these assurances taxi drivers have called for police to step up efforts to combat attacks against them. Asif Afzal, a taxi driver in the city, said police had been “falling short” in efforts to tackle the problem. He said drivers had been increasingly experiencing incidents of targeted attacks from roadsides and bridges, and that this was “almost exclusively” from young people. “This is something that we raised with West Yorkshire Police a couple of years ago,” he said. “We’ve been talking about it since then and one year ago we did the protest outside Elland Road police station to raise awareness. The police have put
of time before someone would get seri- ously hurt. It feels like nothing proactive has been done since then and a proper approach has not been taken to protect the city’s taxi drivers. “We need officers going into schools and talking to parents because it is almost exclusively young people attacking us from the side of the roads. “Nobody should feel threatened or unsafe in their place of work.” Inspector Jodie Scatchard, who heads West Yorkshire Police’s Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We remain committed to working closely alongside our partner agencies and the taxi operators and bus compa- nies to do everything we can to tackle these issues. “Officers have been working with Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team over recent months and have issued prohibi- tion notices to a number of local youths banning them from this area. “We will continue to work proactively to identify anyone involved in these types of offences and take appropriate action against them. “We will also be continuing our work with schools and youth organisations to get across how dangerous stone throwing incidents are and the serious consequences that can result from this type of behaviour.”
DECEMBER 2020
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