TERROR... HEMEL HEMPSTEAD CABBIE IS ROBBED
A taxi driver was threatened and robbed as he made a pick up in the early hours of the morning. The 40-year-old Hemel Hempstead cabbie lost around £150 cash and his mobile phone
after picking up two men in Grover Close on September 19. He escaped unharmed after the pair fled the scene, making off towards Randalls Ride at around 1.30am. According to the
Berkhampstead Gazette, two men have been arrested.
Anyone with informa- tion is asked to call Hempstead police sta- tion on 01442 271347 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
BRADFORD TAXI DRIVERS FEARFUL OF ATTACKS
“I was sat in the front of my cab and the cou- ple behind started attacking me. The man was punching and the woman got a knife out and cut my face. They robbed me of around £100. I was terrified”. Bradford father-of-six Mohammed Rashid has spent the past 20 years driving taxis and during that time he has been in a few arguments.
Recently he picked up a couple who knifed him in the face and punched him before running away with his money.
Mr Rashid called his control room to ask for help and they in turn called the police, but the owners of Allerton, Cosy and Prune Park Private Hire say rather than helping, the police wanted Mr Rashid to call them directly to tell them what had happened. Manager Yasser Ali told BBC News: “How can a driver who is being knifed ring the police and ask for help? They’re having a laugh because that’s just stupidity.
“When we call the police we expect them to trust what we are saying and get to the scene of the assault and help the victim and catch those who are attacking our drivers.” Det Insp Ian Bryar from Bradford South CID said: “In this par- ticular incident it took us 12 minutes from getting the call to arriv- ing at the scene. “We understand
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everyone’s concerns but we have to carry out a risk assessment and as a knife or other potential weapons were being used, we needed to send offi- cers who were best equipped to deal with that particular situa- tion. “Taxi drivers should not feel that we are not bothered about their welfare, it does not matter if someone is being attacked at home, on the street or in a car, it’s all the same to us.” Taxi drivers believe one way they can try to deter attacks is to get CCTV systems installed in their cars. But Mr Ali said the problem was the cost. “I have 45 cars and I simply can’t afford to put a camera in every one but the council could help,” he said. “They collect around £500 per driver in the city through licence and plate fees and as there around 2,000 drivers in Bradford, that’s a lot of money. “They are making money at our expense and should put back some of it to help with keeping us safe at night.”
Bradford Council said the money they collect is spent on producing license plates, ID cards and documents and pays for enforce- ment officers and other staff to ensure that those who use taxis in the city are safe.
Cllr Ghazanfer Khaliq, the council’s portfolio
holder for transport, said: “We do not make money from taxi driv- ers, that’s simply not the case. Recently we passed a resolution allowing all taxi drivers in the city to advertise in their cabs. “We have said the money they generate can be spent on installing CCTV sys- tems and other security measures in their vehicles; in the current economic cli- mate we can’t do more than that.”
Mr Ali said he had pur- chased a new system for all his drivers which includes a but- ton they can press in an emergency.
“It may help us save a few vital seconds but if the police take time in coming, what’s the point,” he said.
“When our drivers ask for help in many cases my other drivers turn up to help before the police. Things just have to change because we just don’t feel safe or have any confidence in the police.”
Mr Rashid said his family did not want him to carry on driving taxis and many other drivers in the city were also afraid.
He claimed the num- ber of attacks on them was increasing every year and he said it was just a matter of time until one of them was killed. Police said no-one had been arrested in con- nection with the attack on Mr Rashid, and they were continuing to appeal for witnesses.
SECOND GRIMSBY CABBIE IS ‘SHOT AT’
A taxi driver has claimed she was shot at as she drove down Cleethorpes Road, Grimsby on a recent Saturday night. This is the second driver to be shot at in recent weeks.
The first incident occurred when Dun- can Young’s people carrier was hit with what was believed to be an air-gun pellet in Hainton Avenue, Grimsby,
when he
was on his way to col- lect a fare.
The latest incident
happened at about 9.30pm on Saturday 25 September. caus- ing minor damage to a Peugeot 406 belong- ing to Country Cabs. The driver, who did not wish to be named, told the Grimsby Evening Telegraph: “I heard a loud bang which sounded like a gun- shot, and then something hit the car. “There are a couple of scratches on the win- dow and paint work, but I think it must have missed.
“There was a car in
front of me and behind me so I think they are targeting taxi drivers. “Taxi drivers should be aware that this is happening - it could have been so much worse.”
The incident was reported to police offi- cers in Cleethorpes. However, a spokes- man for Humberside Police was unable to confirm if the damage caused was as the result of a firearm. How- ever, they urged anyone with information to call 0845 606022.
HENLEY THUGS ATTACKED TWO TAXI DRIVERS
Three men were involved in an attack on two taxi drivers in Henley in July.
The trio, all in their early to mid-twenties, were picked up by a taxi driv- er from the kebab shop in Greys Road at about 2.40am on July 18 and asked to be taken to Wallingford.
They had travelled a short distance when the men began shouting abuse at the driver and stole £12.50 from a compartment in the taxi. The 32-year-old driver stopped the vehicle in
Fair Mile. One man got out of the taxi, walked round to the driver’s door and hit the driver in the face.
The victim called for help on his radio and another taxi driver quickly appeared on the scene. However, he was hit by the same man before all three passengers ran off. One of the drivers received minor injuries. PC Jamie Pitcher told the Henley Standard: “All three men had been in the kebab shop in Greys Road just
before they were picked up by the taxi and we have a CCTV image showing two of the offenders in the shop.”
The man who assault- ed the drivers was white, about 5ft 2in and had a muscular build. He had short- cropped, blond hair and was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with informa- tion should call PC Pitcher on 08458 505505 or Crimestop- pers on 0800 555111.
SUNDERLAND CABBIE ATTACKED IN CAB
Injured and out of pocket, Ray Connan is counting the cost of being attacked in his own cab. Taxi driver Mr Connan, 60, picked up a man in Sunderland city centre and took him to Sea- ham on August bank holiday Sunday. But trouble flared over confusion about where the man wanted to be dropped off. Mr Connan said his passenger refused to get out of the taxi and smashed the protec- tive panel separating the driver and his fare - causing nearly £300
worth of damage - and injured his finger. But Ray managed to drive back to Park Lane in Sunderland where taxi marshals called the police. The man was arrested and cautioned.
Ray told the Peterlee Star: “He was extremely aggressive and started calling me a robbing thief. Then he went quiet and started again. “We went through this bizarre procedure for a minute or two, then he found a £20 note and passed it through the hatch with a pound.
“The fare was £11.40 so I passed him a £10 note back. Then he started shouting again and banging on the screen and calling me a thief.
“He bit me deep enough to draw blood and require three or four bouts of treat- ment. It’s very difficult to put a figure on what I’ve lost, because I am self-employed.”
A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “A 27-year-old Seaham man was arrested and bailed pending further inquiries.”
PHTM NOVEMBER 2010
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