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In-car CCTV to be fitted to Huddersfield taxis to stop violent attacks
TAXIS will be fitted with spy cameras in a bid to stop violent attacks on cabbies. Kirklees Council has 120 in-car CCTV systems to give to drivers – and is offering to foot half the bill. The scheme will cost £54,000 to implement, but comes after a spate of attacks on cabbies.
Clr Peter O’Neill, cabinet member for safer communities, said: “Similar schemes introduced elsewhere have shown an immediate and massive reduction in the number of crimes against taxi drivers and we hope these results will be seen in Kirklees.”
The system takes 15 seconds of images when a passenger enters and leaves the vehicle and can be set to record the journey if the driver feels threatened. The information is saved and can be downloaded if required.
Passengers will be warned that CCTV is in operation by stickers in the vehicle. It is hoped it will curb the kind of violence that claimed the life of Mohammad Parvaiz in July 2006. The 41-year-old taxi driver died in a racist attack in Golcar.
Between November 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009, West Yorkshire Police recorded 425 incidents in which the victim was a taxi driver. Sgt John McFadzean, of the Huddersfield town centre policing team, said the cameras should prevent crime.
“We are hoping they will prove a deterrent rather than a tool to help catch people who have committed a crime against a driver,” he said. “Taxi drivers are just doing their job and they should not be subjected to threats, abuse or violence.”
The equipment is available to the first 120 drivers who apply. They need to fill in an application form and pay £225 towards the cost of the equipment and its warranty, with the other half being paid by the council.
Once the equipment has been installed it becomes the property of the taxi driver and can be moved between vehicles at a cost of about £70. Makhan Singh, of Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, said he was considering investing in one of the systems.
He said: “It’s about making you feel safe. Things have got worse in recent years. There have always been drunks and druggies who threaten you, but with the economy being what it is there are more instances of people trying to do a runner without paying.” The cameras are provided by Staffordshire based Cygnus Automotive.
A spokeswoman said: “We are pleased to be working alongside Kirklees Council in order to reduce their crime rate by preventing crime in taxis. Statistics provided by other councils have proved that fitting CCTV into taxis has reduced the levels of crime in those vehicles.”
The cameras will be fitted on November 9 and 10 at Riverbank Court. For more information and to get an application form, contact Danni Taylor on 01484 416295.
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