Taxi Driver Online

Taxi bosses have pledged to help firms fit closed circuit television in their cars to safeguard cabbies and customers. If follows the brutal killing of taxi driver Mahmood Ahmed, 36, who was stabbed to death and dumped in a lonely rural lane.

The father of six was last heard from as he agreed to pick up a fare in Oakworth Road, Keighley on Monday, at about 10.30pm. His body was found the following day at 7.23am in Slack Lane, Oakworth. His cab was discovered ten hours later three miles away in Maize Street, Ingrow, Keighley.

John Meiehofer, a director of Keighley Metro in Church Street, Keighley, said his private hire firm, which employed 70 cabbies, had been pressing for CCTV for some time. "This terrible killing has just brought it home how vulnerable taxi drivers are. We feel that CCTV should be compulsory in cabs "We want to see safety levels increased dramatically and to do that we need CCTV and also the backing of Bradford Council which provides the licences.

"They could make it a condition of the licence that CCTV is fitted. Buses have cameras so why not taxis? We are more vulnerable because we are in close proximity to customers and we work 24 hours a day, seven days a week." They had looked at the cost, which was likely to be about £1,000 a cab, which would provide a camera looking out along the road and one focusing inside.

He called on Bradford Council to consider the possibility of allowing taxis to have advertising on the bodywork to help raise revenue to offset the cost. Last spring his company carried out a survey on the number of threats, attacks and verbal abuse relating to five cabs over a 60-day period.

There were 130 incidents, including 25 threats or acts of intimidation, one incident of being spat at, two drivers were struck, a taxi door kicked and a windscreen wiper deliberately broken.

Councillor Graham Mitchell, of Keighley Town Council's watch and transport committee, said it backed the call for CCTV. "The appalling murder of this poor man makes you realise how very vulnerable taxi drivers are they are out there working on their own." A Bradford Council spokesman said: "We would welcome cameras in taxis and would give all the help we could to support this move."

Police are appealing for help in tracing the killer and urge anyone who saw a man using a mobile telephone at the junction of Malsis Road and Oakworth Road, on Monday night, or saw a silver coloured Vauxhall Vectra in Ingrow Lane, about half and hour later, to contact them on (01535) 617167.

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IDFIMH

What a very sensible idea?

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IDFIMH

I wish the council would get on with it.

http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/display ... killed.php

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IDFIMH

Agree totally on this one, it is long over due.

With the advent of mobiles that take images and record voice it is high time we had the facility to record the facts.
I caught a , and I use the word reservedly,"lady" recording on her mobile and trying to antagonise me by calling me names.
If I had "reacted" then you can be assured who would listen to that recording and use it against me.
In this digital age,it is time we had protection from these pathetic low lifes.

Apart from anything else its something we could all unite in.

Jack

I agree Jack, not that you needed my agreement but I agree anyway

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Cameras should immediately be an optional safety condition. There are many councils dragging their feet on this issue including Manchester because they want a certain type of fool proof encrypted recording unit that only the licensing department and police have access. Personally I think drivers should be able to shop around for the cheapest unit that complies with the licensing specifications.

Regards

JD

What I like the most is the 'free' bit.

Could this be the first time the taxi/PH trade have ever got something they want for nothing.

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IDFIMH

I know for certain Manchester won't be supplying these units for free and although some authorities might, I doubt it will be very many.

Regards

JD

I also agree with the cctv in all public hire vehicles ive been in a few situation,s were the identity of my passengers would have been beneficial to the police. But i dont think glasgow would put there hands in there pockets to help fund these camera,s in our vehicles, although we give them thousand,s of pounds in fees. As said on here before it would take a lot of the private hire trade to fight our councils for advertising on our cars which would help us to purchase cctv for our vehicles.

I think the difference here is the lads are trying to get it paid for by advertising.

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IDFIMH

Does a council anywere in the country actually give a toss about any of us in all honesty,should it matter if we have advertising on any car should a council be even in a position to tell us what we can or can't have. Have you seen the state of some of the towns in the country and what a council get away with. Should it matter to them what cctv we have most of them are just jobsworth tossers. Its our safety not there egotrips that should be at the forfront of this.

Another step forward.

http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/news/ti ... cision.php

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IDFIMH

I looked into it a couple of years ago but there are a few problems

Firstly there are strict conditions under which cctv evidence can be accepted in court in general terms it means that you musn't be able to view the images yourself but only a police officer can as part of an investigation and if they decline to investigate the crime e.g. a runner or minor criminal damage to the vehicle you cannot use the image as part of a private prosecution or so i was told when i looked into it

secondly the quality of the images may not be good enough to be acceptable as evidence anyway

The best use of the cameras is as a DETERRENT so why not allow taxis to carry dummy cameras if they cannot agree on what they can install

In the recent past met with PCO reached heads of agreement on CCTV quite simple Props orgs unsuccesfull for years.
LTDA of course oppose any form of advertising on PHV in the interest of piblic safety of course.So at the moment ads wont pay for CCTV howeversoon coming limited ads for companies vehicles,ie Ace motors 12846509 When that arrives GMB says restriction of trade does deal with multi national too livery entire vehicle,thereby eliminating company and earn the vehicle owner more than enough too pay for CCTV snd in vehicle protection [shields],Yes I know were useless.

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

I bet most of the drivers on Rambo's firm could write a more coherent piece than this. Is Gaelic your first language?

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Former taxi driver