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Abused cabbies 'turning' vigilante'
VIGILANTE cabbies are taking the law into their own hands to deal with abusive and violent customers and fare dodgers, a senior city councillor has claimed.
According to Harry Newton, the head of the committee responsible for handing out taxi and minicab licences, a minority of drivers resort to dealing with crime themselves rather than call the police.
His comments come in the wake of remarks made by Judge Nicholas Coleman, who described vigilantism as a "particular problem" in Peterborough, when jailing taxi driver Imtiaz Rehman for attacking a drunken yob who had vandalised his car.
Cllr Newton said, historically, there had been cases where cabbies would sidestep the law to gang up on criminals, and the practice was still going on.
He said: "A couple of years ago there was a particular problem where, if taxi drivers got into trouble they would not call the police, but contact all the other taxi drivers, who would rush to their aid.
"By the time the police arrived, they didn't know what they were dealing with, who was causing the trouble, or what had happened.
"At meetings now, officers keep telling them to contact police if there is a problem, but still they tend to do it. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often."
According to police, an average of 10 crimes against taxi drivers are reported every month, and while the majority are complaints of fare-dodging, a few are for more serious crimes, such as assault.
The Evening Telegraph reported recently how Imtiaz Rehman (44) was jailed for 18 months after fracturing a 23-year-old man's cheekbone in response to an attack on his car in January.
Despite having being jailed before for another attack in 2003, Rehman was allowed to resume work as a taxi driver from 2007 until the incident, after probation officers convinced the council's licensing committee he was a reformed man.
Some city taxi drivers, who did not want to be named, told the ET admitted some of their colleagues would call on each other in times of trouble because they claimed they did not get enough protection from police.
Mohammed Shabbir, owner of Betta Cars, said: "Taxi drivers provide a vital service in Peterborough, but they are sitting targets for attacks and muggings, and we are seeing more and more of these incidents.
"No driver is taking the law into his own hands, but they are vulnerable and have the right to defend themselves."
Peterborough's deputy police commander, Superintendent Gary Ridgway, said a "small minority" of drivers were responsible for vigilantism. He said: "Taxi drivers need to be properly trained to deal with these situations, as part of the requirements of their licences.
"I also think all taxis in Peterborough need to be fitted with CCTV. But the industry has to accept it must play its part in this by helping to provide the funding."
Warning that offenders stood to lose their licences, the city council's taxi licensing chief, Ken Gray said: "Drivers are told they must never attempt to take the law into their own hands, even if they are unhappy with the police response.
"There have been an isolated number of previous incidents in which drivers have failed to adhere to these guidelines."
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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