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A Latvian who works as a Dundee taxi driver has branded remarks that foreign nationals may be able to take jobs in this country without having their criminal records scrutinised as “unfair and offensive” (writes James Williamson).
Edvins Balodis (32), who has lived and worked in the city for four years, also told the Tele the comments had caused unnecessary concern among the general public.
“I find this very offensive,” he said.
“People say you’re not safe to drive with eastern Europeans — this is just not right. I don’t understand why it has been brought up.”
But he said he agreed the system for migrant workers should be improved to ensure all immigrants are checked appropriately.
His comments follow the revelation that Disclosure Scotland — the body responsible for carrying out suitability checks on those applying to “high risk” professions — may not have access to records of crimes committed by foreign nationals in their home countries.
As the Tele reported yesterday, some in Dundee’s taxi trade have called for all potential drivers to be open to the same level of scrutiny — whether home-grown or from beyond Britain’s borders.
Their concern was brought into focus by the recent conviction of Vitas Plytnykas for the brutal murder of Jolanta Bledaite, when it was revealed the Lithuanian was a serial offender before he came to Britain.
But Mr Balodis, who lives in Menzieshill and has been a taxi driver for around 18 months, said he had had a bad reaction from his passengers.
He said, “People who aren’t so educated are afraid of us now. They say, ‘We don’t like Eastern Europeans because we don’t know who they are’.”
He said the actions of Plytnykas and his accomplice Aleksandras Skirda had given Eastern Europeans an unfair reputation in the area.
“There are maybe 7000 eastern Europeans in this area and two guys became murderers,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s racist, but it is very unfair against Eastern Europeans who are taxi drivers.
“We can’t say that someone is bad until you prove it.”
He added that Brits abroad were not always innocent. “I am from Latvia and every day British people are acting very badly in my country,” he said.
“People from Scotland can be criminals on their holidays in Spain.”
Because he initially worked in security — at Tesco in Lochee’s Stack Leisure Park — Mr Balodis had brought a printout from police to prove he had no convictions when he came to Britain.
“All the people who want to come to this country can get a printout from the police,” he said.
“But I agree the system should be improved.”
Unless a European national has an offence noted on British records, or a specific watch list, or has previously been deported, their criminal past will not necessarily show up on the check.
Disclosure Scotland checks are legally required for anyone who may come into contact with children or vulnerable adults during the course of their work
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