Taxi Driver Online

Southampton taxi bosses are calling for more to be done to keep drivers safe after two were attacked within 48 hours


TAXI drivers in Hampshire have been urged to be vigilant after two drivers were allegedly attacked within 48 hours of each other.

In the first incident a driver was reported to have been knocked unconscious in a late-night attack, while two days later a man was allegedly stabbed outside Southampton Central Railway Station.

Now, the head of the Southampton Hackney Association wants more focus on the safety of drivers in the city.

Chairman Ian Hall argued that not enough attention is paid to the difficulties taxi drivers face.

He has worked in the trade for 33 years and vividly remembers when a taxi driver in Southampton was murdered in 1986.

He said: “What concerns me, which I think concerns a lot of drivers, is that in the last 22 years there have been 65 drivers murdered in this country. It’s a particularly dangerous job at night.

“The majority of customers are absolutely fine and we do a good job at getting people home safely.

“It’s all sorts of different people we are picking up and anyone that’s getting into the car could be going through a marriage break-up or having a hard time at work, but that doesn’t give them the right to hit people.

“It can be a bit of a volatile job but this is a good city to live and work in.

“Drivers need to be a bit careful but they are anyway.”

In relation to the incident near the railway station, Nicholas Jeffrey, 27, of no fixed address, appeared in court facing charges of wounding with intent and possessing a knife in a public place.

Police investigating the Swaythling incident confirmed that they had identified a man they wanted to speak after a taxi driver was found unconscious by a colleague.

The 28-year-old victim was assaulted and left unconscious at the junction of Mansbridge Road and Howard Close.

He was found by a fellow taxi driver and taken to Southampton General Hospital, but was not seriously injured.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101.

source: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/1143349 ... _two_days/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Amazing isnt it?

Our wonderful powers that be talk about threats from ISIS to hoodwink us supporting them going into illegal wars so that they can get their precious oil and do jack [edited by admin] about the threat we feel on a daily basis just for doing our job

We'll never get the protection we need to do our jobs safely. When buses and trains want CCTV they get them for nothing from suddenly appearing funds that the local Council owns. When the Taxi Trade applies for the same fund we're told there's no such funds.

Nottm have just funded CCTV for cabs.

_________________
Grandad,

all licensed vehicles in Southampton have CCTV

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not so sure about that.

Quite often the Captain is putting up articles about scumbags being jailed, so many do get caught.

However I do agree with the sentiments that more could be done, by the police, the courts, councils and ourselves.

_________________
IDFIMH

Which could indicate why one scumbag has been charged and they know who the other one is.

_________________
IDFIMH

Yes I know, I'm on about the Councils themselves, there's funds out there for stuff like this but they like to keep it all for themselves.

Now now lets get it right, the govt has plenty of dosh stashed away for important things like going to wars where theres oil and justifying it by claims of "fighting terrorists" and claim all sorts of extraordinary expenses in the bargain. Clear case of im alright jack and sod the rest (and taxi drivers dont matter).
I'd like them to try doing our job for a month, see exactly what we have to put up with and what little help we get

We heard of a fund called the liveability fund which funded the CCTV on the night buses, when we went in and asked for some funding from the liveability fund for CCTV cameras we were told no such fund exists.

They wouldn't last a week driving a cab, Saturday nights / Sunday mornings will have them calling their butler to get them out of there.

A week? Id give them a couple of days and thats without threats, runners, vomiters, and the batterings some poor chaps have had to suffer

Trains have CCTV built-in when they are made; bus companies generally have to pay for their own CCTV. there's no magic fund for them.