Taxi Driver Online

Sounds like this headbanger literally kicked off

Photo a bit big, but looks like the scene of the actual aftermath, so maybe worth displaying. But if anyone's wondering how they got a photo like that, it's almost certainly taken from the Courier's office, which is the brown building shown in the second image, which is facing in the opposite direction.

And quite an intricate statement from the "58-year-old man, who asked not to be named, [and] was walking by Albert Square at the time of the incident."

What's the betting he works in the Courier building


Police hunt man after driver ‘spat at’ during Dundee taxi rank attack

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/du ... nk-attack/


Image: DC Thomson

Police are hunting a man who attacked a driver in a Dundee taxi rank attack.

Officers were called to Panmure Street, near the McManus art gallery, shortly after 9.30am on Friday.

The man who is described as being in his 20s attempted to throw a number of punches and kicks as drivers evaded him.

It is understood one cab driver was spat at after the attacker was refused service.

Two police officers were seen interviewing several people in the aftermath, after the assailant had reportedly “sauntered” towards the Hilltown.

Police Scotland confirmed they received a report of a 63-year-old man being assaulted but the victim did not require medical treatment.

Dundee taxi driver attack was ‘not a one-off strike’

One 58-year-old man, who asked not to be named, was walking by Albert Square at the time of the incident.

He said: “I heard shouting and looked up.

“This young man, dressed casually and in the mid 20s, was throwing punches and kicks at taxi drivers.

“The drivers moved back but he kept lunging at them in a sustained attack.

“He seemed to be focusing his attention on the driver of a black Skoda but also went for two other drivers who went to his aid.

“It was not a one-off strike.

“The young man repeatedly attacked the men.”

He added: “At one point he dropped his jacket, picked it up and walked away but he then returned and lashed out with his feet at the drivers.

“The men were much older and were clearly alarmed.

“It is not what you expect to see not long after 9am.”

Inquiries ongoing

“Taxi drivers and others in public-facing occupations are having a difficult enough time at the moment without this.

“The assailant sauntered off towards Victoria Road.

“I was pleased to see the police arrive within minutes to take statements from the drivers.”

Taxi drivers at the scene declined to comment.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Officers received a report of a 63-year-old man having been assaulted on Panmure Street in Dundee around 9.35am on Friday.

“Inquiries into the incident are ongoing.”


Image: DC Thomson

Good example of where a bit of 'elegant variation' might improve things. The a-word is used twice in quick succession in the first line of the article there. It's also the final word of the headline

Is it me or does Dundee seem to have a big problem with violence at taxi ranks compared to the rest of the UK

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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Maybe the fact that the local press has an office opposite a rank might account for some of it.

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IDFIMH

Probably not, although as well as this one, I posted another one about a violent incident at the other Nethergate rank the other day, which referred to the killing in the queue there, so I suppose it might look that way

(And the one the other day I suspect just happened to be near the rank, and the perp apparently got into a taxi, but otherwise looks like it was unrelated to the trade or the rank.)

Of course, the death because of the queue brawl in Dundee was a biggie, but on the other hand it's a freakish, one-off event, and nothing to suggest that kind of thing couldn't happen in any other UK city, or indeed any town.

On the other hand, and maybe it's just me, but I do seem to recall quite a few significant incidents from Glasgow in the last few years, but of course its population is bigger than all but London, Birmingham and Leeds, so statistically it's likely to see a high number of incidents.

And, of course, press reporting might play a part. I mean, you'd think that Glasgow's PHDs are the worst on the planet, and that Edinburgh's are squeaky clean, but suspect it's more about Glasgow's press attending licensing committee meetings when they arise, while the more workaday cases don't seem to be reported from Edinburgh.

Which in turn is instructive as regards this thread - as Sussex says, the incident might not have been reported at all if the locus hadn't been overlooked by the Courier's office, and a convenient, er, bystander hadn't been on hand to provide a statement about it all

Funnily enough, the other reported mid-morning Dundee incident I was thinking about also happened at bang on 9.30am, and there was also a yellow Nissan Leaf around at the time

And happened just nine months ago...

Same rank. And, as per previously, it's overlooked by the Courier's offices, so that's probably where at least one of the photos was taken from

Not sure to what extent the trade involved, or whether the issue was job. But it says a driver gave a statement, although it also says a male was detained by 'members of the public'.

But, aye, the council will be gearing up to enforce the LEZ from the end of this month, the border of which can't be much more than 100 yards or so from here. That'll help the city centre


Police descend on Dundee taxi rank after ‘big commotion’

Three police units were called to the scene on Friday afternoon.



A taxi rank was thrown into chaos after a disturbance in Dundee city centre this afternoon.

Several police vans descended on the taxi rank on Courier Place/ Panmure Street at around 3:40pm.

One man, who did not wish to be named, said he witnessed three men detaining another male before the police arrived, at around 3:20pm.

He said: “There was a big commotion at the rank.

“Three chaps appeared to be restraining another lad on the floor before the police arrived.

“There was three units at the scene at around 3.40pm.

“One taxi driver was giving a statement to the cops.”

A shocked passerby said a man was placed into an awaiting police van before a taxi driver was seen giving a statement.

Dispute at Dundee taxi rank sparks police response

Another man said: “I saw the guy getting put in the back of the police van.

“As you can imagine everyone was filming it.

“It appears to have been a dispute at the rank which has escalated.

“The street was packed because Dundee High School was just coming out as well.”

Police Scotland has been approached for comment.


Mega-photos here. Not sure if anyone's having problems viewing these photos from the Archive site, which I've been having issues with. But I think it's a browser thing - I use Firefox - so maybe better with another browser, although if I refresh it often enough then it usually loads

https://archive.is/xpo1u/2930040a727bef ... 688b82.jpg

https://archive.is/xpo1u/a3f268f9f48642 ... 50ed83.jpg