leafy surreyTaxi drivers in Surrey Heath could receive compulsory safeguarding training to help tackle child sexual exploitation, a Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) document has revealed.
The proposal, which will be discussed by SHBC's licensing committee on Wednesday (March 15), will address growing concerns over children vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.
The bid to introduce mandatory safeguarding training will not only apply to existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers but also to beginners going through the job application process.
In July 2015, Surrey Police invited all licensed Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers to attend a safeguarding course - but just eight out of 230 licensees attended.
What has led to this?
Recent high profile incidents exposing the failure of public services to recognise and prevent abuse of children has spurred the topic to be a talking point in Surrey Heath.
Most notable was the Rotherham sexual abuse scandal, which first came to light in November 2010 when five men were jailed for grooming underage girls.
A commissioned report revealed that at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited.
The scandal has been deemed a local government failure and has led to the commissioning of reports to expose the extent of such lack of action.
"Some of the conclusions drawn from research into the experience and handling of CSE in Rotherham has been the identification that many in the council and its local partners continued to deny the scale of the problem," the Surrey Heath meeting agenda stated.
The lack of communication between local government, the police and other organisations responsible for child protection was also noted in the proposal.
Why taxi drivers?
Professor Alexis Jay, who commissioned the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in 2013, has described the role of taxi drivers in facilitating or engaging in CSE as a "common thread" in the UK.
Concerns have also been raised over the licensing and enforcement side of taxi and private hire regulation.
"There is a responsibility, on local authorities, private hire operators, and individual drivers to ensure that licensed drivers are aware of the warning signs that could indicate when a passenger is at risk of trafficking or CSE" the meeting agenda stated.
What is being done?
Surrey Police invited all licensed Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers to attend a safeguarding course in July 2015 which was very poorly attended by just eight out of 230 licensees.
Although more attended the second course in February 2017, Surrey Police said not enough is being done to tackle the issue.
Officers have proposed the introduction of compulsory training for all drivers as part of the job application while existing drivers will be given a year to complete the training.
If successful, the proposal will be consulted by the Taxi and Private Hire Trade over a six week period, before being reviewed by the licensing committee on June 26.
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