BREAK-IN BLUES
COLCHESTER SUSPECTED TAXI BURGLAR CAPTURED IN CCTV FOOTAGE
A taxi boss has said attacks against cabbies’ vehicles in Colchester are the worst he has seen during his 29 year career. The chairman of the Colchester Hackney
Carriage
Association said crooks targeting taxis are “costing drivers a fortune”. He claimed since December at least 60 hackney carriages in the city have been the subject of a break-in or attempted burglary. It comes as footage shared with the Gazette shows a woman trying door handles and shining a torch in the windows of a parked up taxi in St Leonard’s Road. The incident, which took place at 4.30am on January 8, is just one of many being seen across Colchester, according to cabbies.
The chairman said: “At the moment it is so tough being a taxi driver, it is costing us a fortune. “The problem every year is at its worst around Christmas and New Year but it has never been as bad as it is now. I have been doing this since 1994 and this past year I have seen it become so bad.” The cabbie said another recent incident saw a window smashed
on a taxi driver’s car while it was left parked in the Leisure World car park, in broad daylight. Other acts of vandalism have been reported in the Hythe, Shrub End and Stanway areas with Greenstead being a particular area of concern for drivers. He added: “We have to take our vehicles off the road to fix. This could take three days, it could take a week. All this time you’re not working and so you’re losing money.” Last week another cabbie said there is an ongoing "epidemic" of attacks against vehicles in Colchester. He said he has heard tales of windows being smashed in and tyres slashed by criminals.
GRIMSBY MAN AND WOMAN CHARGED AFTER SPATE OF THEFTS FROM TAXIS AND PHVS
A man and a woman from Grimsby have been charged in connection with a series of thefts from cars and taxis in Grimsby over the past few weeks. Connor Barker, 28, was charged with nine offences relating to theft from vehicles. Lyndsy Barker, 45, was charged with two offences relating to fraud and the handling of stolen goods. Taxi drivers in Grimsby and Cleethorpes have previously said they feel like sitting ducks whose car windows could be put through at any point amid a spate of break- ins and thefts in the area. An estimated 30 incidents took place over Christmas and New Year with some reporting their car
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windows had been smashed. One Grimsby driver, who lives on the Willows Estate, said he woke up on the morning of January 8 and found his vehicle had been "ransacked", causing hundreds of pounds’ worth of damage and a significant loss in earnings. He said: “I knew what's been going on and we're just sitting ducks - I knew my windows would be put through at some point, but it doesn’t soften the blow.
Two
quarter panels had been put through, the vehicle had been ransacked, the glovebox opened and everything chucked every- where. “Obviously he didn't get anything because taxi drivers are aware of
what's going on and nothing valuable was on display, but he caused a few hundreds’ pounds worth of damage.” He continued: “I’ve now lost around £300 to £400 and in today’s climate, everyone’s doing what they can to earn a living and you’ve got some little s****e who thinks it’s OK to damage your property. He must know the impact it has on families. It’s got to be over 40 cars he’s broken into now.” A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Two people have been charged today, Sunday January 15, with a number of offences relating to theft from motor vehicles across Grimsby over recent weeks, including a number of taxis.”
FEBRUARY 2023 PHTM
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