Taxi Driver Online

Police Slammed Over 'ignorance and laziness' In Rape Case

16 July 2009

Police have been accused of ignorance and laziness for failing to take seriously the concerns of Leamington taxi drivers about a man who went on to rape a 17-year-old boy.

Whitnash resident Huseyin Cakmak, 48, of Moorhill Road, was found guilty of falsely imprisoning and raping the teenager in a company car park on the Heathcote Industrial Estate after offering him a lift home in the early hours of the morning last November.

But Dil Ramzan, who contacted the Observer on behalf of a group of fellow Hackney carriage drivers in Leamington, said that at the time they had warned police and the council on numerous occasions about the delivery driver illegally plying for hire as a taxi.

Mr Ramzan added: “We would watch him floating around the town trying to pick up drunk and vulnerable people.

“We telephoned the police alerting them to the potential danger and they bounced us back to the district council licensing team, which in turn then directed us to the police.

“It certainly angers any parent to think that dangerous individuals are still at large even after being reported to the authorities.

“As a result we have a young individual whose life is devastated.”

Cakmak, who had denied the charges, was found guilty by a jury at Warwick Crown Court and remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

A spokesman for Warwick District Council said that because the vehicle was not a licensed taxi the enforcement powers would be with police.

A Warwickshire Police spokesperson said: "All information provided to the police by members of the public is considered by our trained Communications Centre staff and the appropriate action taken.

"If this was simply a report of an unlicensed “taxi” then we would normally direct the caller to the relevant licensing authority, such as Warwick District Council.

"If however there was specific information to suggest concerns regarding public safety and risk to our communities then we would risk assess the call and respond accordingly.

"If the taxi drivers feel that the information they provided was not dealt with appropriately they should contact the Communications Centre chief inspector with the dates and times when the calls were made in order that a review can be undertaken."

Source; Leamington Observer - leamingtonobserver.co.uk

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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So the licensing department are saying they have nothing to do with unlicensed vehicles and drivers.

FFS read the 1847 act.

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IDFIMH