Taxi Driver Online

Not really much direct taxi stuff here, but it's typical of this kind of thing, and it's the usual case of making stating the obviously sound like they're reinventing the wheel.

Of course, comms/PR stuff like this may have a purpose, but too much of it is of the self-serving propaganda variety.

And, for example, why aren't they doing this kind of thing all the time? Obviously there's more of these kinds of problems at this time of year, but on the other hand it's just more of the usual


The Essex area where police will patrol taxi ranks and alleyways this Christmas

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n ... xi-8964155

It's in order to reassure the public and protect anyone who appears vulnerable during the festive season

An Essex area will see an increased police presence at taxi ranks and alleyways in a bid to reassure the public and protect the vulnerable. Officers from Essex Police will patrol Colchester on the busiest nights of the Christmas party season again this year.

Officers who specialise in preventing sexual offending will provide a highly visible presence in the early hours of the morning in the most popular areas of the city. The team's proactive approach last year saw sexual offences fall by more than 30 per cent during the operation.

Over the past 12 months, sexual offences in the district are down by 13.8 per cent. These officers are in addition to the members of the local and community policing teams who will be on duty and attending incidents as usual.

Detective Inspector Fred Tomkins coordinates the scheme, known as Operation Sled, and says the officers are there to protect women and girls and help anyone who looks in trouble. They said: "We want people enjoying a night out in the centre of Colchester to feel safe and stay safe. The operation is about being a visible presence and recognising risks associated with the night-time economy.

"We’ve identified places where offending can potentially occur, such as the taxi rank. The officers are there to provide public reassurance and intervene when necessary.

"We will be patrolling around the alleyways and less-frequented spots that don’t get as much foot traffic to make sure no stragglers are left out alone."

The officers will also be talking to local security teams and door staff to explain the focus of the operation and asking them to point out anyone they’re concerned about.

DI Tomkins added: "Last year, we stepped in when we saw people under the influence of alcohol who weren’t in a position to make decisions about who they might have been going home with. We also spoke to a number of individuals in the city centre whose behaviour concerned us.

"During the Christmas period, you get a lot of people out in town who may have a drink or two more than they do at other times of the year. You might get up to 100 people in the taxi queue so we’ll be there asking people if they’ve had a good evening, if they’ve got somewhere to go and if they know how they’re going to get there.

"The public response last year was excellent. People were pleased to see us and we were happy to help those who needed us. We hope everyone feels safer knowing we’re there looking out for them."

This in the Courier about Dundee is maybe typical of the genre.

I mean, have a look at the arrests made, and the implication seems to be that this wouldn't have happened without the 'crackdown'. Really?

Seems more like a flurry of policing activity that's spun as some sort of new approach and a 'crackdown', thus again too much self-promotion and PR.

And, of course, if there has been a change of approach due to the problems outlined at the bottom, shouldn't councillors and politicians be asking why such things are allowed to go unchecked in the first place. But, of course, that won't happen.


7 men charged after Dundee city centre crime crackdown

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/du ... crackdown/

Police have been targeting crimes including drug-dealing, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.


Image: James Simpson/DC Thomson

Seven men have been charged with a variety of offences during a Dundee city centre crime crackdown.

Police have been carrying out a period of action in a bid to tackle issues including drug-dealing, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Enforcement work began with a drugs raid at a property on Seagate last Thursday (November 30).

Two men – aged 28 and 32 – were charged after £44,500 worth of cocaine was recovered.
Arrests after Dundee city centre crime crackdown

Police have now revealed that the crackdown has also resulted in further arrests, including:

Two men, aged 57 and 41, have been charged after cocaine worth about £1,500 and a four-figure sum of cash were found during a stop and search on Logie Street (included as part of city centre operation)

Following reports of several thefts from vehicles, a 30-year-old man has been charged

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with outstanding warrants, and cautioned and charged in connection with shoplifting

After several shoplifting offences from a shopping centre, a 45-year-old man has been arrested and charged

The crackdown comes after concerns were raised by shop bosses about crime and anti-social behaviour last week.

A city centre pend was also nicknamed ‘Crack Alley’ by workers following a spate of drugs issues.

Detective Inspector Scott Carswell, who has been leading the crackdown, says the increased police activity has been praised by retailers.

He said: “We are aware there has been a noticeable increase in drug-dealing, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

“Our enforcement work and engagement has been welcomed by retailers.

“We are facing competing demands and divisional management are looking at different models for city centre policing.

“I can assure the public there is always a police presence within the city centre.”

But what was the police response when the relatives of the man who died in the taxi rank ruckus a few years ago complained about the lack of policing in the city centre (the rank is about 100 yards from the photo op above)?

A not unrelated topic from Dublin. But I think the taxi rep here is perhaps overegging things a bit - I suspect the presence of taxis is intended as more of a deterrent rather than requiring anything more proactive. But I kind of see where he's coming from - it's a bit like the safeguarding stuff and 'bystander' training - people like taxi drivers expected to do the job of law enforcement agencies

And you'd think the rep would be more bothered about the pedestrianisation of huge swathes of the city rather than this angle, but perhaps that's a different article.

Lastly, where he says the gardai have been 'grossly resourced', maybe he means 'grossly under-resourced'? Anyway, it's pretty obvious what's he's getting at, either way.


Taxi chief blasts proposal for cab drivers to help with policing of Dublin city centre

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-n ... b-31651637

Dublin administrators believe cabbies occupying the city will guard against leaving large, empty spaces for anti-social

Taxi industry leaders have criticised proposals for cab drivers to keep Christmas revellers safe by helping to police Dublin city centre.

City Council officials planned to fully pedestrianise new civic spaces that are planned for Dublin – but the November 23 riots sparked a re-think.

The council could now assess if taxis would be allowed into areas that were earmarked to be pedestrian zones at night to maintain “passive surveillance”.

Dublin administrators believe cabbies occupying the city will guard against leaving large, empty spaces for anti-social behaviour.

The policy change emerged in recent days during a Dublin Chamber of Commerce briefing about the proposed new Dublin City Centre Transport Plan.

But taxi industry leaders like Vinny Kearns warned that while taxi drivers have historically been the “eyes and ears” for gardai, they cannot be expected to police the city.

Vinny of Expert Taxis told the Irish Mirror: “You would need Army Ranger Wing training to be able to police some areas of the city centre.

“Taxis might have a place in policing, but their main job is getting people from A to B.

“They can be the eyes and ears of gardai and report things to them, but they cannot be expected to police the city.

“The safety of Dublin city centre is for gardai, but the guards have been grossly resourced.

“You try to find a guard between O’Connell Bridge and Parnell Street. They have been let down by resources. It’s not fair to them.”

Under the current Dublin City Centre Transport Plan, cars would be banned from some city centre roads to free up more space for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses.

For example, cars would be banned from parts of the quays, and Parliament Street near Dublin City Castle would be traffic-free.

Cars have been banned in College Green since May and from Capel Street since last year.

Dublin Chamber spokesperson Aebhric McGibney said: “The debate about the use of public space once it has been pedestrian enhanced or fully pedestrianised is an important one in the context of the riots.”

She added: “There certainly is a piece around the safety in the city and passive surveillance.”

Dublin City Council’s head of traffic Brendan O’Brien said: “In the evening, it may be better that you would have taxis into [an] area so people are not walking through a big empty space.”

The Irish Parking Association yesterday claimed that safety in Dublin city centre is a concern due to reduced footfall.

Its chairperson Keith Gavin warned that activity has decreased since Covid and businesses are relating this directly to the increase in anti-social behaviour.

He said: “We have seen what has happened since Covid as the city centre footfall reduced.

“As the level of activity in the area reduced, the safety of the city centre deteriorated rapidly.”

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said: “The city needs to be safer.”

Kearns, who has been a taxi industry voice for 42 years since 1981, added:

“Taxi drivers have a street sense, but they are not gardai.”

I suspect that's all the police want.

If anything they would take rather a dim view of cabbies doing any more than that.

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IDFIMH

Well this has went well. This was one of the Courier's weekend photos of the Dundee police 'crackdown':




But today on the Courier's website:

It's all about this, which is about an incident which apparently happened in the early hours of this morning:


Man, 41, arrested after woman ‘raped’ in Dundee city centre

A cordon has been put in place at New Inn Entry.


And there was this a couple of weeks ago about the same alleyway and side street:


Workers nickname Dundee pend ‘Crack Alley’ as city centre blighted by drug-dealing

New CCTV has been installed as part of efforts to improve New Inn Entry.


It looks like some kind of side street in a grotty area, but in fact it's just off the main shopping area slap bang in the city centre (partially obscured by the phone box on the right here):

https://www.google.com/maps/@56.4608458 ... ?entry=ttu

Maybe if they paid a bit more attention all the time instead of simply for the photo ops and PR, then stuff like his wouldn't happen in the first place

On the other hand...

Of course, sexual assault stuff like this looks kind of random in terms of timing and location etc, but wouldn't be surprised if this investigation and the recent photo op and publicity about drugs in the alleway aren't entirely co-incidental.


No criminality found in Dundee ‘rape’ investigation

A 41-year-old man arrested in connection with the incident has been released without charge

SInce when has Dundee been in Essex

this thread is far off course it needs closing

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

All up north to me.

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IDFIMH

Says the guy who wanted endless 'omni-threads' on specific topics

Yes, it's a bit off topic, but that's why the thread title is 'Essex Police will patrol the streets at Christmas' and doesn't even mention the t-word

And why I started the thread by saying 'Not really much direct taxi stuff here'

But you still read on anyway, so not sure precisely why you're complaining. And I did try to make some sort of link between the topics. And, I mean, it's not as if policing is totally unrelated to the trade. In fact, I posted an article earlier from Perth about that very link, and why the Perth trade ain't happy...

Incidentally, and on a related point, the thread about the takeaway in St Andrews has been deleted - I was just wondering what impression others got from the article and video.

Anyway, the takeaway is just beside the town's main rank, and when I rolled up last night at almost 11pm it seems that police had just closed it down

Don't know why, but it looks like it was open as normal until after 10pm. I just managed to speak to one of the drivers who was working the rank, and he didn't know what had happened (although I'd better not post his opinion on here )

But must be something reasonably serious to close it down mid-evening on a Friday night.

Could say a whole lot about that place, and it's been a bone of contention with some of the taxi drivers because of parking issues on the rank etc. But I'm keeping quiet on here

But what is on the public record is that Police Scotland objected to the grant of his takeaway licence when it opened about 18 months ago. But the council granted it anyway.

He also had an HC during that time , which was mostly used for food deliveries, but he also seemed to use it so he could park on the rank to load and unload stuff

Police had objected to his taxi licence as well, but the council granted it anyway. However, the grounds for objection aren't specified in the minutes, and I'm not sure if they're in the public domain.

By whom?

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IDFIMH

All of which reminds me of last December's headlines to the effect of "Kent Police Crackdown on drink driving catches 30 drink-drivers in December. FFS, that one a day! If that's the best they can do in a crackdown, how many do they catch in a normal month?

A fraction of what the could/should.

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IDFIMH