Taxi Driver Online

Only ten taxi drivers take up offer of CCTV licence as Edinburgh scheme flops


IT WAS hailed as a major step forward in public safety for users of black cabs and private hire cars in Edinburgh, as well as their drivers, but one year on the capital’s much-vaunted advent of licensed CCTV cameras in cabs for safety reasons has had precisely nil applications.

Out of more than 1,300 taxi cabs in Edinburgh, only ten licence-holders have approached the council to seek licences, and these were for forward-facing cameras. No applications have been received by the City of Edinburgh Council for licences for internal CCTV safety cameras.

In June last year, the city’s regulatory committee agreed to allow forward-facing cameras and CCTV to be installed in licensed taxis and private hire cars.

At the time, the committee instructed the then acting director of services for communities to provide annual updates detailing the number of applications received.

The committee will hear later today that “since May 1, 2014, the council has received no applications for licence variations to allow the installation of crime prevention and safety cameras within taxis or private hire cars.”

The report to the committee adds: “Since May 1, 2014, the Council has received 10 applications for variations of licence to allow the installation of forward-facing cameras. Eight of these have been permitted, and two are currently being processed.”

The problem of lack of demand stems from cab licence holders apparently being unable or unwilling, or both, to become the "data protection controllers" as required for the operators of CCTV cameras under the Data Protection Act 1998.

The council made it clear when the system was brought in last June that it would not act as a data controller for the vehicles, and according to one senior source at an Edinburgh private hire company “that made the whole thing a non-starter.”

He added: “Our drivers simply cannot afford the time and the money that it takes to learn how to be a data controller.

“You would then have to factor in the expense of dealing with the system and making any images available to those who need to see them.

“It was a good idea, but sadly it has failed in practice.”

A spokesman for Edinburgh Council said last night that the use of cameras had been requested by the taxi trade in the city, and it would be appropriate for them to comment on the lack of demand.

A committee member at one of the capital’s major taxi firms spoke to The National on condition of anonymity. He blamed the council for failing to set up a proper data protection system for which they would have responsibility, rather than drivers.

He said: “The forward-facing cameras have been installed by a few drivers because you can get a discount from your insurance company if you have them.

“The CCTV cameras are a different matter altogether. They are a great idea but no driver I know really wants to take responsibility for data protection.

“At the moment you have to pay £50 to be able to put a camera in your cab, but that is all you get – the council wants to make its money and wash its hands of you.

“It’s asking a lot for a self-employed driver to become an expert on CCTV rules and data protection. More drivers would certainly be interested if the council were to take on the jobs associated with data protection.

One driver told The National: “We work by the rule that what happens in a taxi stays in a taxi, and a lot of drivers are worried about what will happen if people start demanding to see what we have recorded on camera. The licensing authority should take responsibility for the system.”

source: http://www.thenational.scot/news/only-t ... flops.4366

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The figures for the actual take up are wrong.
No surprise there.
I, amongst others, have applied for a variation to my licence to fit a CCTV system in my taxi and I have also, again like many others, have a Data Controller certificate.
I am in the process of getting a comprehensive system in my taxi, unfortunately there have been teething problems with the audio recording that has to be manually operated and only used to record the voice in emergency cases.
The system incorporates between 2 - 4 cameras depending on the requirement of the licence holder. The data is stored in an encrypted box and re-records every 21-30 days depending on how many hours the taxi is on the road.
I am hoping to get the system up and running by the end of next week.

If there is an incident within the taxi or picked up on the forward facing camera this information can be stored separately for a longer period of time.

Finding a reliable, quality system at an affordable price has been the challenge.

good post thanks for the truth

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Did I read it right Les ? You pay the council £50 for permission to install CCTV, not equipment or fitting, just the permission. So after coughing up £50 you then have to pay for all the equipment and fitting yourself ?

I wonder why it didn't take off

maybe you should use higher rates or maybe even employ people who can f*cking read

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

and my own understanding of this is that the data controller determines what equipment is suitable - not the council

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

There are two options available.
1. The fitting of a forward facing camera only. This is used to record events outside of the vehicle. This is generally fitted for insurance purposes only.
Any system fitted has to be approved by the City of Edinburgh Council and fitted securely to the vehicle. There is a one off £50 fee involved as a Variation of Licence has to be applied for, this form can be downloaded from the Council website, and the vehicle has to be presented at the Cab Office for inspection to ensure the safe fitting of the equipment. Licence holders fitting this piece of equipment will qualify for a 5% - 10% discount in their annual insurance premiums as it helps protect the driver and insurance company from fraudulent claims. Through a few years premium discounts this more than compensates for the installation cost incurred by the licence holder.

Any driver or licence holder fitting their own camera system without applying for the Variation of Licence, whether permanently or on an ad-hoc shift basis, will be breaking the Terms and Conditions of their licence.

2. The fitting of a CCTV Safety Camera system throughout the vehicle, which normally includes a forward facing camera, carries the same Variation of Licence procedure and a one off £50 inspection fee is payable. In addition to this the Licence Holder must apply to be a Data Controller through the Information Commissioners Office. This is renewed annually at a cost of £35. Licence holders who have a CCTV system installed into their vehicles must comply with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and will have legal responsibility under this Act for the installation and operation of this equipment and the capture, encryption, storage and usage of all images. Licence holders can register at http://www.ico.gov.uk This requirement ensures the safety and security of all images and voice recordings within the vehicle and reassures the passengers that no images will appear on any social media sites. There is no training involved, just a little bit of responsibility is required and plain common sense.
Again licence holders fitting this equipment will quality for a 5% - 10 % discount in their insurance premiums. The equipment is inter-changeable and can be moved if the licence holder is changing his vehicle. The system, through premium discounts, will pay for itself.

The option whether to install safety cameras is voluntary for each licence holder and it is for the licence holder to decide the benefits and whether or not it suits them but there can be no doubt that other road users and passengers are starting to record video footage and use this to pursue claims against drivers.
I have had to deal with many cases over the last couple of years where selective video footage was used to pursue claims against drivers. It may be an initial hassle and cost to set up the system in the first place but long term it will give the driver peace of mind within his work place and a independent source of reliable information to defend himself with. The initial cost will be met through annual premium reductions.

As I posted previously I am at the final stages of having a Safety Camera system fitted to my taxi. It has four cameras and a Panic Button audio system which kicks in and records any voice conversations for a period of 10 minutes. The audio recording is enacted if the driver feels that there is a situation developing where audio recording will help defuse the situation.
I have extensive reports from other Local Authority areas, where CCTV has been introduced, the reduction in incidents within taxis and road rage incidents have been drastically reduced.
I am preparing a start to finish guide regarding the requirements and pro's and con's of fitting CCTV safety cameras within taxis for the City Cabs members and I will post it on here when it is complete. I am also preparing an information leaflet for the passengers re-assuring them that any footage recorded within the vehicle is secure and is fully encrypted. The footage will never be viewed unless requested by the Cab Office, Police Scotland, The City of Edinburgh Council or an Insurance Company. It is certainly not the case that there is a bank of TV monitors in a control room with someone watching what is going on in the back of a taxi as many of the General Public may think.

Please see below a link to show the footage recorded within my taxi in a trial environment. The passengers in the back of the taxi are City Cabs staff and gave permission for this footage to be used as a demonstration.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4wrNa ... edit?pli=1

I am happy to offer advice to anyone who is considering fitting cameras within their vehicles and I can be contacted on les.mcvay@citycabs.co.uk

What is the overall cost?

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Common sense........is just not that Common.

I'd like Sussex's view on this - because I thought once a person is data controller they determine the requirements - not the council.

Perhaps this is something the ICC need look at?

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Had Dual Lens CCTV for 3 months, system is adequate as a deterrent, good quality HD camera but sharing data with police or insurance company is a pain, Windows 8 doesn't allow big file sharing, windows 8 also only formats SD cards upto 32gb, also don't like downloading software (not safe) that allows the sharing of Data, then there's the problem of burning footage too disk (police preference) encryption being that problem, I had to send SD card down south so as to un-encrypt card so I could help in a case where a cyclist was knocked down by a driver.

CCTV in Taxis can only be a deterrent, if and hopefully not, anything happens, I say it can be serious time consuming, cabbies don't do time consuming, don't expect a big take up of them, I did save on my insurance more than I paid so hey nothing lost.

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

errm - I doubt the cctv could be anything else - you should possibly think about trident - that offers all manner of new capabilities

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin