CCTV: YOUR SECURITY
MANDATORY CCTV PLANS FOR TAXIS AND PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
There are plans to make it mandatory for Gloucestershire taxis and PHVs to have CCTV. GloucestershireLive reports that cabbies across the county could soon be required to have CCTV for their safety and passengers. The Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards issued in 2020 state that the Government expects its recommendations to be implemented by local councils
unless there is a compelling local reason not to. One of the recommendations yet to be considered by Tewkesbury Borough Council is to explore whether the installation of CCTV in vehicles would have either a positive or an adverse net effect on the safety of taxi and PHV users. The report recognises that such a policy could impact on the privacy of the passenger and the driver.
And mandatory CCTV will have cost implications to the vehicle licence holder and introduce a responsibility to the council to be data controller for captured data. Tewkesbury council’s licensing subcommittee is due to vote on August 25 on whether the consultation goes ahead. If it does, the consultation will be open for eight weeks from September 5 to October 30, 2022.
CALL FOR CCTV IN INVERCLYDE TAXIS AFTER DRIVER LEFT SERIOUSLY INJURED
Councillors have called for Inverclyde Council’s ban on CCTV in taxis to be lifted following an alleged attack which left a driver severely injured. A cab driver has been scarred for life after an early morning incident on Nelson Street. Now several local councillors have reacted by calling for the council to review its ban on local cabbies having CCTV in their vehicles. Labour’s Martin McCluskey believes that drivers should be allowed to choose whether or not they want cameras in their cars. He said: “We need to look at it again, not just because of the horrific incident a couple of weeks ago, but also because I’ve been contacted about it by a number of taxi drivers. This isn’t mandatory CCTV or forcing people to put cameras in their cabs. We should be looking at system where if someone wants CCTV in their car they should be able to do that. “It’s something we should revisit.”
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Cllr Tommy McVey, who has been a taxi driver for three decades, said: “There are significant GDPR issues regarding CCTV in taxis so it’s important we consult the trade. “Incidents of violence, verbal abuse and fraud are all too common - something has to be done.” Labour’s Mr Moran echoed his colleague’s sentiment saying the health and safety of our taxi drivers is ‘paramount’ to the council. He added: “I, along with my colleague and owner-driver councillor Tommy McVey, have arranged a meeting with trade representatives to discuss the option of installing CCTV into the cabs and anything else that can be done to ensure the safety of the drivers and taxi operators.” Meanwhile, the Scottish Private Hire Association (SPHA) has begun mobilising against Inverclyde Council’s decision. Leaders at the association have written to the council’s General Purpose Board,
which is in charge of licensing. In the letter, the SPHA condemn the recent attack and call on the council to overturn the CCTV ban. Eddie Grice, General Secretary of the SPHA, said: “Inverclyde Council’s ban on CCTV is utterly ridiculous. They are gambling with the lives of drivers. It is simply not on. The SPHA has called on the council to overturn this ban. “CCTV reduces and deters crime and can be an invaluable source of evidence should something happen. Many licensing authorities throughout the UK permit its use.” The letter sent to the council also said: “It is not acceptable for licensing authorities to not be focused on, nor treat as a high priority, issues of driver safety". It also contained copies of existing policies and guidelines from Glasgow and Edinburgh Councils, where CCTV is allowed, so that Inverclyde Council can use them as a template.
SEPTEMBER 2022 PHTM
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