'Help us before a cabbie is killed' Coventry taxi drivers demand action after spate of stabbing and attacks Taxi drivers say they are risking their lives on a daily basis in Coventry.
Cabbies are demanding more is done to protect them from violence and theft following the stabbing of a driver.
Tommy Sandhu, chairman of Coventry Taxi Association, hit out after a cabbie was stabbed in Chapelfields after picking up four men in the city centre.
Mr Sandhu believes many taxi drivers are abandoning the profession over fears they could be even end up being killed on the job.
He said: “Threats to drivers are a daily occurrence and the police have got to do more about it. People are leaving the profession because they think it is too dangerous.
"At the end of the day people are out there providing a public service and trying to make a living, but if you constantly have problems with passengers you have to make a decision.
"If you are a young man with a family do you want to be stabbed or possibly killed for the sake of a fare?”
Mr Sandhu was also critical of the police following the attack on the 44-year-old cab driver on October 26, which has left the driver traumatised and unable to work due to the severity of his injuries.
The attack happened just after 2am on Queensland Avenue after the driver picked up the men from Far Gosford Street.
“We meet regularly with police and we have regular taxi committee meetings, but one discussion that comes up regularly is that police don’t take our complaints seriously enough,” he said.
“The police seem to fob us off with the attitude ‘Well it’s part of your job’ and if a driver gets hurt or the passenger runs off without paying a fare they say it’s a civil matter.”
Superintendent Claire Bell, from Coventry Police, said: “We work very closely with the Coventry Taxi Advisory Group and have a strong relationship with their representatives in the city.
"As part of their day to day duties our officers are regularly in contact with taxi drivers to ensure their views and concerns are addressed.
“It’s disappointing to hear these comments and I would encourage anyone with concerns to come to us directly so that we can listen to them and overcome any problems.
‘‘This was a really nasty attack and the investigation has included close liaison with other taxi drivers to provide reassurance to them that we are taking this attack very seriously.”
Last week, the Telegraph reported how a taxi driver was attacked in Bedworth and a Hinckley taxi driver was recently punched and bitten by a gang from Coventry who attacked him while still at the wheel.
In August last year, a cabbie was robbed at knifepoint in Foleshill.
source:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... on-6267743
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