66 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
JANUARY 2009 PLODDING POLICE
PLYMOUTH DRIVER CLAIMS POLICE SAID: ‘DON’T GO TO THE PRESS’
Police have been accused of trying to cover-up a stabbing by telling the taxi driver vic- tim ‘not to go the press.” And other taxi drivers operating in Plymouth say police aren’t doing enough to stop threats from customers.
According to the Ply- mouth Sunday Independent, concerns were raised in Ply- mouth Licensed Taxi Association’s newslet- ter, following a meeting with police, about police concealing attacks on taxi drivers from the media.
Roy Hamilton, secre- tary of Plymouth Licensed Taxi Associa- tion, said: “One hackney carriage driver was stabbed in the back and the leg and could have bled to death, he was appar- ently told by police not
to go the press.” In the newsletter about the attack on a taxi driv- er in Chaddlewood it said: “As he returned to his vehicle he felt a blow to his back and on turn- ing saw a large knife in his assailant’s hand. “The slash to the leg missed the major artery by 1cm.
“The police requested that the driver did not inform the press.” There are claims that police also tried to pre- vent the association printing the story in their newsletter.
One Plymouth licensed hackney carriage driv- er, said: “Taxi drivers are threatened and beaten up and a lot of it is pushed under the carpet. “Police would rather have a cup of coffee than help taxi drivers, they promise the earth
and then do nothing.” The newsletter said: “It was pointed out (at a police meeting) that many drivers feel unsafe because of the police’s attitude to calls from taxi drivers about broken legs and attempted murder.” “They can be sympa- thetic but on a Friday and Saturday night they don’t want to be bothered by taxi driv- ers,” added a Hackney carriage driver.
Many taxi drivers in the city say they are feeling less safe because of ongoing problems with colleagues being threatened for their night’s takings. A sen- ior officer said: “It is certainly not the policy of our organisation to withhold information from the press. In fact we believe it is just the opposite.”
EALING CABBIE DISMAYED BY SLOW POLICE RESPONSE
A PHV owner said he feels ‘let down’ by the police after it took them weeks to collect video evidence of two thugs smashing his company window.
Amir Sheikh, owner of Manor Cars and Pace Transport, in The Avenue, West Ealing, said he reported three incidents to the police this year and each time felt he had to chase officers to take his statement and collect CCTV images.
Mr Sheikh, who lives in Perivale, said cam- eras were important to make the staff feel safe at work and for passengers, but if they were not looked at after incidents then
there was no point in having the expensive equipment. The 43-year-old told the Ealing Gazette: “About a month ago two men smashed the window by throwing a cement block at the front.
“They were arrested and the police said they would come in the morning to take a state- ment and pursue the matter, but the video has just been lying here over a month.
“I kept phoning them asking what was hap- pening and it’s frustrating as the evi- dence can be used to stop these things hap- pening to other people and the cameras to
deter people from car- rying out crimes. “It’s our job and duty to help the police but they should also help us.” A police spokeswoman said: “I can confirm that we were called to a dis- turbance at a commercial premises in The Avenue. Two men in their 40s were arrested - one for crimi- nal damage and one for affray.
“Both have since been bailed pending further enquiries to the end of November.” “An officer will be in charge of an investi- gation and will prioritise their work load and assess the evidence available as appropriate.”
BURY DRIVER UPSET WITH POLICE RESPONSE
A taxi driver was attacked and robbed after picking up pas- sengers from a house in Radcliffe in Greater Manchester. Paul Nkunzimana was working for United Pri- vate Hire when he collected two men and a woman from School Street at around 4.40am on recent Saturday. The three people want- ed to travel to Whitefield and Paul asked them for a deposit of £5 towards the cost of the journey. They refused to hand over the cash and instead offered to pay with cannabis, which Paul declined.
The passengers then told Paul that he had to buy some cannabis from them and demand- ed money from him. Paul, who lives in Prest- wich, told the Bury Times: “I told them that they owed me money for the fare and I didn’t owe them anything. I thought they were joking.” When he refused to pay, the man in the passen- ger seat started to punch Paul as he drove the taxi. He kept his hands on the wheel in the hope that a passer-by would see what was happen- ing, but the passengers used the hand-brake to
stop the car. Paul, aged 37, got out of the taxi and was pushed to the floor by the men. They continued to kick and punch him as he lay on the ground.
As he was attacked, the woman searched his taxi and stole his tak- ings, around £245, and his mobile phone. Paul said: “I was very frightened because I couldn’t fight back against three people. They said they were going to kill me and I was really scared.” The two men and woman eventually left Paul, who got into his car and drove to the taxi office in Ainsworth Road. He called the police and an ambulance and was treated by para- medics for cuts and bruises to his hands, legs and face.
Despite being attacked, Paul returned to work on the Saturday evening but he is unhappy that after many calls from the police, he did not see an officer until he went to Bury Police Sta- tion on Monday to make a statement. Paul said: “I was attacked and robbed and I am disgusted that I didn’t hear from the police earlier. I don’t
understand why it took so long.”
The police are investi- gating the incident, though no arrests have yet been made.
Chief Inspector Sean Hogan said: “When the victim reported this offence, just before 5am on Saturday, he told officers that the assault had happened 15 minutes ago, and that he was safely back in the taxi office where he is based. “At the exact time the response officers who would have gone to see this man were also being asked to respond to three other incidents where people were immediately at threat. “We work on a graded response system where incidents in which there is an imme- diate threat to life are given a higher priority than other calls.
“This assault was given a grade three response. In an ideal world an offi- cer would have been to see this man sooner, and this was clearly a distressing incident for him, but it would be unfair to suggest that the delay in visiting him is due to anything other than officers being busy elsewhere.”
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