Asian taxi drivers 'face greater threat of murder'
Asian taxi drivers are more likely to be victims of murder than drivers from any other ethnic group. Racist violence, often fuelled by drugs and alcohol, is to blame, the BBC Asian Network's Philip Churm has been told.
According to analysis carried out by the National Private Hire Association with the Department of Transport, taxi driving has the highest murder rate of any British profession.
About a third of all taxi drivers are from ethnic minorities but the majority of fatalities involve Asian victims.
Drivers are now being urged to seek better training in how to avoid conflict.
One private hire driver in Birmingham, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained how he was lucky to survive after attackers armed with a knife and screwdriver demanded money from him.
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Over the last 17 years there have been more than 50 murders - more than any other industry
Omar Ali, trainer for taxi drivers in avoiding conflict
He said: "I was struggling with one of them and they stabbed me in my neck, in my arms, in my thumbs and my thighs. They tried to stab me more and more and more."
Awareness of the dangers facing taxi drivers has increased since Birmingham driver Mohammed Arshad was brutally murdered last year.
This has prompted better links between police and taxi drivers, with courses now being set up by training companies to offer drivers additional skills in areas such as conflict resolution.
Omar Ali and John Lafferty are directors of one such company, Mathieson Training, which is based in the West Midlands and provides BTEC and NVQ level courses for the industry.
"Over the last 17 years there have been more than 50 murders - more than any other industry," said Mr Ali. "Additionally, there are assaults and some of those are quite serious."
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'Very dangerous'
Drivers' groups and police say they are trying to work together to improve safety but believe passengers, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, often display racist behaviour.
Communication difficulties add to the problem when passengers and drivers do not understand each other properly.
Alias Yousef, chairman of Coventry Taxi Association, said: "Many members of the public go out on the weekend. They get drunk and they get rejected from pubs and clubs.
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I do the job just for the money because if I had a choice, I'd do something else
Anonymous taxi driver talking to BBC Asian Network
"The first line of call is to attack anyone or anything and, when they jump into a taxi, nine out of 10 take it out on the poor driver."
Sayeed has worked for a taxi firm in Birmingham for many years. His brother and uncle have been attacked but he told BBC Asian Network it was possible to learn how to avoid confrontation.
"It's to do with how you conduct yourself with passengers and also how you deal with a certain situation," he said.
Naveen Sharma, from West Midlands Police's Diversity and Community Cohesion Unit, believes taxi drivers are now more aware of the need to protect themselves.
"I think taxi drivers are now more conscious of their own safety," Mr Sharma said. "I encourage any taxi drivers, whether you're private hire or Hackney carriage, to report all crimes to your local police."
However, despite the efforts being made to make the profession safer, the private hire driver who spoke to BBC Asian Network told us it was still a very frightening industry.
"This job is very, very dangerous," he explained. "There's no protection. I do the job just for the money because if I had a choice, I'd do something else."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8545963.stm
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