CCTV in all taxis to deter sex attackshttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cctv ... -t3gv2zx5kA new crackdown will also feature tougher criminal record checks and a national database for driversTaxi owners will be forced to install CCTV cameras in their vehicles while the drivers will face tougher criminal record checks as part of a crackdown to combat sex attacks.
The new measures are the first in a series of sweeping reforms of the system which will see the government legislate to bring in minimum standards for all taxi and private-hire drivers.
The Department for Transport is also planning a national database to prevent drivers from working away from the area where they hold a licence.
The purge on rogue minicab drivers follows the publication of a government-backed review into the industry after a number of sexual exploitation scandals in towns such as Rotherham and Rochdale.
Taxi licensing officers in Rochdale were said to have warned that efforts to tackle sexual exploitation had been undermined by the number of drivers who were working under licences issued by neighbouring Rossendale council, where a “lower standard” was applied.
Rossendale renewed scores of taxi licences — without knowing about the drivers’ up-to-date criminal records — over a period of at least six months until the summer of 2016, according to reports.
The town, which had 75 taxi rank spaces, also licensed more than 3,700 drivers in 2017. Many of the drivers had been convicted of offences in areas such as York, Milton Keynes and Manchester.
The changes come after the controversy around John Worboys, the black-cab rapist who was jailed in 2009 for assaults on 12 women in London. In January last year the Parole Board said he would be freed, but victims challenged the decision. He remains in jail.
It was also revealed that Birmingham council had handed out licences to criminals with convictions for drug dealing, child abuse, assault and burglary.
A consultation on the statutory guidelines for all local authorities will be published this week.
Enforcement officers will be given the right to run compliance checks on any private-hire vehicle or taxi in its area, even if it is licensed in another.
The guidelines include a recommendation that all drivers should be required to undertake awareness training about child sexual abuse and exploitation.
All licensing authorities will be required to ensure drivers can pass a written and oral English test before getting a licence to make sure they can help any passenger in an emergency situation.
A government source said the proposals would offer greater protection to the public and “robust safeguards” for passengers.
Last year bodies representing taxi and private-hire drivers admitted the regulation of licences needed to be tougher for public safety after the Suzy Lamplugh Trust found more than 860 drivers in England and Wales had been granted licences despite having criminal convictions.
The Sunday Times has also revealed how Uber secretly investigated more than 2,500 of its London drivers for offences including sex assaults, stalking and dangerous driving, according to documents given to regulators.
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