VULNERABLE IN YOUR VEHICLE
5. Courts dismissing cases with nothing more than a slap on the wrist – which provides an impression to the public that there is no punishment.
THIS MUST STOP
There is a desperate need to have discussions and make changes. MPs, police call handlers, CPS, courts and local authorities simply MUST recognise the severity of this issue. They MUST appreciate the impact these attacks have on drivers; not only physically and financially, with time off work recovering and the cost of repairs to vehicles, but also mentally. They must understand the psychological impact an attack can have on the driver and their families, as well as the repercussions on the nighttime economy if drivers don’t feel safe working at night or in high risk areas. This of course can then impact public safety, due to a lack of service in those areas and at those times.
IT’S NOT ALL DOOM & GLOOM TIMES ARE CHANGING
Having spoken to various bodies including police, Institute of Licensing, local authorities and various others, I can honestly say that their overall view is changing but more needs to be done to protect drivers.
PC Patrick Quinton the Avon and Somerset Police “taxi cop” told me that when he first started in the role, he thought most crime would be committed by drivers. In reality he found only a small minority caused issues, this opened his eyes to the real world of our industry.
His role comprises a mix of enforcement AND support for drivers. It’s not unusual for him to give a ticket to a driver one week, and then help them as a victim of crime the next. He told me that he has looked at the crime figures for a whole year in his police force and found that: every month, drivers were 3-5 times more likely to be victims of crimes than perpetrators of it!
PC Quinton recommends reporting incidents using police online portals rather than calling 101; that way more accurate information is recorded, the risk of it being trivialised is reduced and it also provides a useful log.
James Button in recent presentations at IoL training days/conferences and at the Suzie Lamplugh Trust event made some refreshing statements including:
“The vast majority of drivers are extremely professional, going far above and beyond to ensure they provide an outstanding level of service. When discussing bad apples, we are most certainly only talking about a small minority.”
PHTM DECEMBER 2024
“There are bad apples within any industry including for example police; one bad arrest and all police are bad, solicitors, one bad contract or representation, and all solicitors are bad, its no different within the taxi/PH, we must remember that fact.”
“You have a duty to protect the public, but does this stop at protecting those travelling within a licensed vehicle? No it does not! It extends to other road users, cyclists, pedestrians etc, but does it stop there? No it does not! It also extends to your licensed drivers; you have a duty to protect your drivers too!”
DOES CCTV HELP?
Cambridge South Cambs, York, Telford, Rotherham, Rossendale, Lewes, Eastbourne, NE Derbyshire, Bolsover, Brighton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Mid Sussex and most others where drivers have installed CCTV into their vehicles both voluntarily and mandatory, have all seen:
1. 60 to 75% reduction in attacks on drivers
2. Many have seen 70% reduction in allegations against drivers, when they do receive such reports, they have seen undeniable evidence showing that:
3. 95% of such reports, are false allegations 4. Drivers/passengers feel much safer with CCTV
So yes, CCTV is helping to reduce attacks, more so where there is a visible monitor which acts as an obvious deterrent, but it also provides evidence to speed up investigations when things do go wrong.
STAY SAFE OUT THERE
Times are changing, but drivers, you can do things to protect yourselves:
1. Assess passengers, remember you have the right to refuse passengers if they look aggressive, are known trouble makers, or for any other “justifiable reason” - if they look like they could be a threat, just say no and drive away
2. Remember to report all incidents, do it online as PC Patrick Quinton advised above, this saves time and provides a much better record
3. In the event of a runner or aggressor, please do NOT get out of your vehicle to challenge them, keep your door locked, and drive away
4. Pay attention to body language, assess the risk, recognise verbal aggression and always remain calm and professional, even when they try to wind you up, remember, they could be baiting you.
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