Cabbies’ cameras to boost safety (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Cabbies’ cameras to boost safety

12:43pm Monday 6th August 2007 in News By Catherine Pye

A SCHEME which is providing CCTV in a borough's taxis will provide protection for women travelling alone, they have been reassured.

Blackburn with Darwen Council launched the pilot project yesterday to put cameras in 14 vehicles with the aim of helping both taxi drivers and passengers feel safe.

Intack Private Hire is installing CCTV into three of its vehicles. One driver, Yakub Patel, is keen to have the new technology on the dashboard. He said: "The council want to make people feel safer and so do we.

"It's costing £75 to have it put in during this pilot scheme but this is probably going to be a good investment as we can provide a niche service for people who feel vulnerable in taxis, like young women alone.

"I've been driving taxis for 23 years and I've been threatened three or four times by groups of drunk lads arguing with me.

"The cameras will hopefully make people behave better and we plan to put cameras in all of our taxis if it is successful."

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Coun John Slater executive member for citizens and consumer rights, said: "We want the passengers and the drivers to feel safe.

"We're bringing it in on the request of taxi drivers and from seeing what other councils in the country have done. We don't have a huge problem with behaviour in taxis, but overall in the country, antisocial and criminal behaviour has been rising.

"We hope that the cameras will make people feel safer and act as a deterrant that stops people doing a runner and not paying for fares, and also physical violence.

"The data will only been seen by the police and the licencee, it is important people know we aren't spying. Big Brother is not coming to Blackburn's taxis.

"Taxis with cameras will be clearly marked and the footage will only be used in relation to crimes.

"We hope that after this pilot, more taxis introduce the cameras and can see the financial gains to be made from people not running off without paying and damaging the vehicles."

Thirteen private hire taxis and one black cab in Blackburn and Darwen are to be fitted with the cameras in a bid to cut down on the 140 crimes involving both black cabs and private hire vehicles recorded last year.

The bulk of the funding for the £675 cameras is coming from the local community safety partnership, Lancashire police and the Government, but each trialist will pay £75 towards the cost.

Crimes police hope to crack down on range from abuse and criminal damage to assault, fare dodging and general drunken anti-social behaviour, with half the incidents involving violence.

They also included a number of false allegations against drivers involving failures to settle an agreed fare.

When the pilot scheme ends next April the taxi drivers taking part will be allowed to keep the cameras.