Taxi Driver Online

Another vehicle with a dodgy plate, but at least the one in Essex was simply expired

Not really much on the fake 'taxi' angle here after the first part of this, though, and by the end it just meanders into police PR sort of stuff...


Drugs and cash seized as fake taxi driver arrested

https://www.birkenhead.news/drugs-and-c ... -arrested/

Police have arrested two men and seized drugs and cash following an investigation into the supply of drugs by a man posing as a private hire vehicle driver.

A blue BMW car displaying a taxi licence plate was stopped on Deyes Lane in Maghull at 8.30pm on Wednesday, 3 September, and following a search, officers recovered three bags of white powder and £1,000 cash from the vehicle.

The driver was detained at the scene.

A 31-year-old man from West Derby was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug (cocaine) and acquiring/using/possessing criminal property. He was taken into police custody for questioning.

Officers then attended an address in Appleton Road in Walton, where they saw a man leave the house with a large bag and leave in a van. He was stopped by patrols and on searching the bag, officers found a safe containing 20 bags of white powder, a Rolex watch, and bundles of bank notes and coins totalling thousands of pounds.

The driver was detained by officers and a 42-year-old man from Melling was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class A controlled drug (MDMA) and acquiring/using/possessing criminal property. He has been taken to a police station to be interviewed.

Both men arrested have been released under investigation.

Inspector Ian Cowell said, “These arrests form part of an extensive ongoing investigation, and our enquiries will continue into the suspects and their alleged activities.

“Our work to reduce the harm caused by drug supply in Merseyside continues every single day.

“People involved in organised crime destroy communities and the lives of vulnerable drug users as well as those they coerce into dealing for them.

“Every seizure, arrest, charge and conviction we make disrupts their networks, and I ask that anyone with information about this kind of activity comes forward so we can find those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Policing activity is continuing to take place into September across Merseyside as part of the Safer Streets Summer initiative, with enhanced high-visibility patrols in hotspot areas for serious violence, anti-social behaviour, theft and robbery.

The Safer Streets Summer campaign forms part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee announced by the Government earlier this year. As part of this, every neighbourhood in England and Wales will have dedicated teams spending their time on the beat, with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas at peak times.

Is it though ?

vehicle displayed a license plate doesn't mean fake so might have been a genuine PHV being used for illicit purposes

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

The piece says he was "posing as a private hire vehicle driver", thus presumably didn't have a badge

It then says h was stopped in "a blue BMW car displaying a taxi licence plate", which makes it sound like it shouldn't be displaying a plate, particularly in the context of the first sentence above about 'posing' as a PHD

So without any further information to the contrary, I think it's fair to assume it was a fake 'taxi', or fake PHV more specifically, because it said he was posing as a PHD

Of course it may depend on the precise context - if the area uses purpose-built HCs, then it's maybe more legitmate to describe a fake driver in a BMW as being a fake PHD rather than fake HCD

And if it was a fake plated car, whether it's described as HC or PHV might depend on what's exactly stated on the fake plate