Taxi firm demands government review of CCTV rules after alleged sexual incidenthttps://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/taxi-fi ... ent-924873A taxi company has called for the introduction of in-vehicle CCTV across the island's taxi fleet, saying current regulations have forced it to abandon plans to install the technology following an alleged incident that is now the subject of a police investigation.
Over the weekend, the Isle of Man Constabulary confirmed it had launched an investigation after a video circulating on social media appeared to show an alleged incident inside a taxi.
Police said they were aware of the footage and confirmed the matter was an 'active investigation', urging members of the public not to speculate or draw conclusions while inquiries continue.
On Monday morning, a man appeared before magistrates charged in connection with the alleged incident.
It is alleged that, while in his position of trust as a taxi driver, he requested that a lone female passenger perform sexual acts in exchange for free travel.
The alleged offence is said to have taken place on the A18 Mountain Road on June 27 and was allegedly recorded by the customer before being uploaded to social media.
Duty advocate Kaitlyn Shimmin successfully applied for the case to be adjourned until July 21 to allow the defendant to obtain further legal advice. Bail was granted.
In a public statement issued on Monday, Kirk Michael Taxis stressed that the driver charged is not connected with the company, but wanted to talk about CCTV following the ‘deeply upsetting footage’.
The firm said: 'We want to state categorically that the driver in question is not associated with our company in any way.
'As a Kirk Michael-based business, we operate with a small number of long-serving, deeply trusted professional drivers who are well-known within our community. We take our professionalism incredibly seriously, we are proud of the reputation our team has built, and we do not condone or tolerate behaviour of this nature.'
The company said the alleged incident demonstrated why internal CCTV should be installed in taxis, describing it as 'an essential tool to protect passengers, safeguard professional drivers, and ensure absolute accountability'.
However, it said existing Isle of Man data protection requirements make fitting CCTV 'completely overwhelming and cost-prohibitive' for small operators.
The company added: 'Public safety should never be sidelined by red tape.'
It is now calling on the Isle of Man Government and the Road Transport Licensing Committee to review the current requirements to make in-vehicle CCTV more accessible for independent taxi operators.
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