Council Plan To Test Taxi Drivers For Drugs
Saturday 18th July 2009
Taxi drivers could face random drugs testing because of often “spurious” claims cabbies are using banned substances.
Worcester City Council’s licensing team which manages the city’s 300 private hire and Hackney carriage vehicles has floated the idea as a confidence measure for passengers.
It is among several suggestions to update the licensing department’s service plan which guides policy. No final decision has been taken.
The report said drugs testing may be introduced following allegations being made that some drivers were taking drugs. However, when asked by committee members to explain the details of the allegations, Martin Gillies, head of licensing, said while they had received complaints in many cases they were “spurious”.
Coun Simon Cronin said: “The report says allegations have been made and I would like to know what allegations have been made and as to whether they were substantial or not.”
Committee chairman David Clark said councillors should not mention individual cab driver cases in open session and asked Mr Gillies for a “generic” statement.
Mr Gillies said: “We received a number of complaints over a substantial period, several spurious to some degree.”
Speaking afterwards, he said he could recall only three occasions where taxi drivers with drugs-related offences had come to the city council’s attention.
Even then, the offences could be many years old as taxi drivers are exempt from having old offences taken off their records.
He said the level of drivers with either criminal or driving offences to their name was “less than five per cent”.
Coun Marc Bayliss said in all his time on licensing sub-committees he had “never had an occasion when drugs had featured as an important part of the hearings.”
He called for officers to review the cases and settle the matter “once and for all.”
Mr Gillies said his department was now working up detailed data of convictions and driving offences from the last 12 months to provide evidence to councillors for the next meeting.
Dormston Cook, secretary of the city’s Taxis Owners Association, which represents about 80 per cent of the city’s drivers said drugs-testing would boost public confidence. He said: “There are rumours all the time about drug use among cab drivers which is rubbish.
“But if the council back that with random testing I think that’s a great idea and the way forward.
“It will give passengers confidence. If any drivers test positive then they will have to be taken off the road.”
Source; Berrow's Worcester Journal
Login
Register
FAQ
