Taxi Driver Online

From the Portsmouth News.

Raymond Smith 28 of Gosport. Admitted not paying a taxi fare and failed to surrender to custody. Fined £85 Comensation £93.60 and £55 costs.

Serves the sod right

I think the good part of this post isn't just the fine and compensation, but the fact it made it into the press.

Maybe, just maybe, a scum-bag or two has been put off the idea of doing a runner and gone back to the buses.

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IDFIMH

I agree with you on the fact that he was prosecuted, but the question of my mind is was it a real Taxi Driver, or just a pretend one .ie private hire

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

I don't know, nor do I care.

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IDFIMH

I had something similar.
£27 fare, did a runner, stupid idiot, I knew who he was and where he lived!
Took a little time but it cost him £100 all in including my £27 compensation.
However,cos he plead guilty it didn't make the papers.

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Our safety is Paramount

ps I'm just a supposed "pretend" cabbie but it makes no odds to me.
I'll always get the police to any scum-bag who does a runner on me, no matter how long it takes to give evidence or statements etc.

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Our safety is Paramount

I used to be a pretend one for 13 years.... it was tongue-in-cheek

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Two of our drivers down here in the space of a week were robbed and assaulted.

So I write into our local rag and says that I am not surprised as the police down here do not prosecute runners, and by not doing that the crim moves on to the next level i.e robbery. Working on the basis of give them an inch and they will take a mile,I asked the question as to whether they were waiting for another murder to happen like the one some years ago that was never solved.

Surprise,surprise, not one letter of reply by the police, the council or anyone. The wall of silence operates down here, no reply and it goes away.

Well it will until the next one happens!

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

I think if you want to bring attension to an issue then writing to the local press is a good way to do it. Maybe an open letter (published in the press) to the top policeman might also help, then at least he has to reply.

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IDFIMH

I'd also add, get a working relationship going with your police at an operational level. There is no benefit for you in throwing brickbats at the local police, what you want is a response to cabbies problems. Get the name of a contact officer at least at Inspector level and invite him to address a meeting of cabbies perhaps at an AGM of your local Assn. Work on the idea that you can help them by being extra eyes & ears eg when a child goes missing. And use the" 41 murders in 15 years" to get their attention. And get publicity for any runners convicted!

Sorry to go on but as you can see by my signature this is a topic very dear to my heart. Good luck.

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Our safety is Paramount

Cheers both at least I have got some food for thought, with some good sound advice being offered. I will dwell on this and get back at a later date.

Regards John

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

It is a Criminal Offence not to pay a Taxi Fare; so if they don't pay call the Boys in Blue and demand that they take action. The old "this is my name and address and I'll pay next week" isn't enough any more. It's about time that there was a publicity campaign along the same lines! Non - payment = Criminal Record = Night int he Cells / Court Appearnance. Its about time there was a record of non-payers so that there could be a barred from one barred from all situation. How many people would actually attempt to do a runner if they knew that they would never be able to get into another taxi for the rest of their lives?

We're waiting for it to happen here in Crawley, but the local Business Watch organisation which runs Pub Watch and Shop Watch asked us if we would like to be included in a Cab Watch set-up, with Cab Offices having a radio linking them directly to local police for a quick response to any problems.
However, I agree we need a "barred from one barred from all" approach.

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Our safety is Paramount

I have just returned home this morning 2.30 am after having a runner, fare £36.80 plus £20 waiting time,
He called and asked to be picked up from Duns in the borders, and he wanted to go to Galashiels but changed his mind and went to New-town St Boswells, I stopped outside what I thought was his house and he said he would get the money then disappeared, so I called the Police and they came out within 10 mins, and checked the area, they then called for a dog and within 5 Min's the dog had him he was hiding in some bushes, he will appear at Selkirk sheriff court in the morning. daft bugger gave me the post code of the house he was at in Duns, so I used the tom tom,as it was way out of my area, but he met me in the town square, and he was caught on camera, and the police went to the house and got his name and address.
So all's well that ends well. the police are very quick around here

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IDFIMH