Hate crimes against Bristol taxi drivers are going unreported, says Mayor Taxi drivers are increasingly the victims of late night violence and hate crime because of their race or faith – but they don't trust the authorities to deal with it properly so aren't even reporting most attacks.
That was the reason why Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees visited a group of the blue cab drivers at Temple Meads, to listen to their issues and urge them to trust the authorities to deal with it.
The Mayor said he set up the event in response to the recent increase in hate crime across the city, which taxi drivers have been affected by.
He said he went to tell them about the range of agencies and support organisations, as well as the police, who could help them.
A council spokesman said some drivers "currently have low confidence in agencies that can support them and therefore don't report crime or hate crime unless it's serious".
"It was very interesting to come down and meet some of the city's taxi drivers this morning, and listen to some of the problems they experience on a regular basis," said the Mayor.
"The council values the work carried out by Bristol taxi drivers in what are often challenging circumstances, particularly when operating in the night time economy.
"We want to support drivers and work with them to ensure that we have a first class service for visitors and residents.
"Taxi drivers are an important part of our night time economy, but they are vulnerable to crime in general and hate crime in particular. Together we must be clear that any form of discrimination or hate-crime will not be tolerated in our city."
The mayor is working with long-standing Bristol group SARI, which gives support to victims of hate crime.
"SARI has been working closely with taxi drivers, many of whom have reported hate crime or faced difficulties when trying to access services," said Alex Raikes MBE, SARI's strategic director.
"We have, on behalf of taxi drivers, set up a working group with the council, Avon and Somerset Police, the British Transport Association and the National Taxi Association, as well as local solicitors and other agencies that can make a difference.
"This group has done a lot of fantastic work with drivers to promote reporting crime and hate crime; to try and prevent such abuse and to build better relationships," she said.
"This outreach session is thanks to the commitment of the taxi trade and the above agencies and is all about us reaching out and trying the best we can to make a difference for this crucial part of our business community.
"Our taxi drivers help to make Bristol a safe and successful, vibrant hub for all those who live, work, study and visit here. They are a community that deserve all the respect and support they can get. They should not have to tolerate any form of hatred or attack," she added.
Read more:
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/hate-crime ... z4IYpoyXwl
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