Taxi Driver Online

Another one about stickers and signage, but this time about break-ins rather than attacks with stones or whatever.

But you kind of get the impression that the trade here overdoing the affect of plates and signage, while the council taking the opposite approach and basically saying there's nothing that can be done and it's all set in stone for ever...


Swindon taxi drivers lose thousands after spree of break-ins

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... break-ins/

Dozens of private hire and taxi drivers in Swindon are distraught after months of frequent break-ins.

The motorists say the yellow taxi plates that Swindon Borough Council policy requires them to stick to their cars at all times makes them targets for thieves.

More than 100 drivers are part of a WhatsApp group chat in which a new break-in is flagged up every other day, which is costing them thousands of pounds in repairs and missed time off work.

Some have put a notice on their window advising would-be thieves that there is nothing of value left inside.

Mungai Nijiriri said: “People walk up to the cars in broad daylight and break into them. It’s happened in Gorse Hill, Rodbourne, and the town centre.

“Even when you go to the supermarket, someone’s broken into the taxi by the time you’re in the shop.

“They are so daring now because they know they can get away with it.

“When customers book us on the app, they get all the information about our vehicle and can track where it is. We don't need plates.”

Suggested solutions include magnetic signs for the roof or requiring a removable sticker to be displayed prominently on the windscreen.

Muhammad Yasin is leading the effort to raise awareness of this crime spree as part of a group known as the Swindon Driver Alliance.

He said: “It’s ridiculous. The thief gets a few coins in change – or nothing – but the driver has to pay hundreds of pounds to get back on the road, and then it happens again.

“You have to keep the taxi plates screwed onto your car even when you’re not working, or are with family. Imagine driving around on a Saturday night while drunk people are banging on the car shouting ‘Taxi!’ while your wife and kids are inside.

“This is a very important trade for Swindon, but drivers are left out of pocket with their cars in the garage, losing work and losing money.

"While we understand the challenges faced by the local authorities, the current situation calls for innovative solutions to ensure the safety of our drivers and reduce the strain on our police resources.

"We propose a modernised plating policy which aligns with the advancement of the private hire industry, and need the council to take action.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: “We were very concerned to hear that private hire drivers are being targeted in this way and understand why they are looking at ways to stop this from happening.

“However, the policy which requires drivers to have a license plate attached to their vehicles at all times is in line with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance.

"It allows the travelling public to have confidence that the vehicle they have booked is the one they have booked over the phone, through an app, or online.

“This prevents people from getting in the wrong vehicle, which invalidates the insurance of the driver making it a risk to all. Failure to display a plate is also an offence under government legislation.

“Having a visible plate allows our licensing team and our partners, such as Wiltshire Police, to quickly identify private hire vehicles so they know they are licensed by the council.

“From the information we received from drivers and the police, the vehicles that were broken into had items of value inside. We advise all drivers to empty their vehicles at the end of their working day.

“A review of the Taxi Licensing Policy is currently out to consultation and we would encourage licensed drivers to feed in their views. This can be found on the council’s website.”

If only it was that straightforward. I mean, is he doing all app work with Uber, or mostly app stuff with a local firm? It's a bit like HMRC and the tech platform stuff - is it feasible to exempt cars doing all app work from showing a plate? And, assuming that was feasible, would it apply to cars doing mostly app work, and how would the exemption be defined and enforced?

And, as the council says, it's not just passengers ordering via the app who need to identify a licensed car. Of course, there's no doubt room for refining the rules, but largely dispensing with plates and signage altogether seems a non-starter.

Plates are not, and never have been, the problem.

The problem, as has been highlighted in another post today, is numpty drivers leaving valuable stuff on show in their cars.

_________________
IDFIMH

'Daring thieves' breaking into Swindon taxis in broad daylight

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... -daylight/



Drivers of private hire taxis in Swindon claim that police are failing to properly investigate a spree of recent break-ins.

The frustrated motorists are fed up with spending hundreds of pounds at a time on window repairs while having to take time off work until their vehicles are roadworthy again.

They allege that up to 80 cars have had their windows smashed during the last three months but the lack of arrested suspects has made some of the drivers give up on reporting future incidents to police.

Messages about a new break-in pop up in their WhatsApp group of around 120 drivers on a regular basis, with no indication of things improving, as offers to send video footage to the police in a bid to assist investigations seem to have led nowhere.



Footage in one CCTV clip appears to show a black-capped e-scooter rider sidle up to a Veezu taxi, smash the window, and lean into the vehicle to search for something only to then hurry away empty-handed.

Another clip taken from a Ring doorbell on January 10 appears to show Ring doorbell footage of a man in a hoodie and hat fiddling with the front window of a parked car.

A mobile phone video appears to catch a grey-tracksuited suspect in the act as the car alarm sounds and the offender runs away into the night.



One taxi driver said: “At the end of the day, he’s taking money from my family. At this point, even if I caught him, I wouldn't call the police."

Another driver said: “The police are not helping taxi drivers. We have reported these issues to them and we have all the evidence, but no action is being taken.

“These thieves are so daring now because they know they can get away with it, they walk right up to the cars and do it, even in broad daylight."

Some drivers have put a notice on their to notify would-be window smashers that no valuables are left inside it in a bid to stop them causing further damage, while others leave their windows down at all times.



Muhammad Yasin is leading a campaign group called Swindon Drivers Alliance to raise awareness of the problem.

He said: "We have lost trust in the police because of the way they are dealing with this issue. It's serious, we have to work hand in hand and need action on this ASAP."

The drivers claim that the yellow taxi plates required by law are making their cars targets for thieves, but calls for the council to change the policy have not been successful so far.

Wiltshire Police have been approached for comment.






All images: Newsquest/Swindon Advertiser

Well, duh


I can see the upside in terms of not having windows smashed, but surely there's a downside as well? I mean, for a start, if the car was stolen, what would insurers say?

But it all sounds about right - police probably not interested. They probably will do something eventually, but would have been a lot easier for all concerned if they took stuff like this a bit more seriously from the start

Yeah that makes so much sense.

_________________
IDFIMH

And then what happens when it starts to p*** hard, or the alarm goes off every time someone walks past?

_________________
IDFIMH

Police respond as taxi drivers fed up with crime spree

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/new ... ime-spree/

Police responded to taxi drivers’ concerns about a spree of recent break-ins that has left them out of work and out of pocket.

Owners of private hire taxis contacted the Adver to vent frustrations with the lack of arrests and prosecutions that followed their reports of criminal damage and theft in recent months.

The motorists claim that repeat offenders often brazenly target their vehicles at all hours of the day and night but do not appear to have been caught despite video evidence being sent to police.

This costs the drivers hundreds of pounds at a time to fix the broken windows and forces take time off work until their cars are roadworthy again.

Some feel that it is no longer worth reporting new break-ins to the police since they do not think that anything will be done about them.

The Adver understands that the police’s Central South Team is aware of the reported crimes and is actively investigating these incidents.

Chief Inspector Carly Nesbitt said: “We are aware of an ongoing issue of thefts and criminal damage reported to us by taxi drivers in Swindon which could be potentially linked.

“I recognise the frustration and concern that such crimes have for those who are simply going about their work.

“Not only do thefts like these have financial implications for those affected, but there is also the burden of having to repair vehicles as well as the emotional impact of being a victim of theft, which cannot be underestimated.

“Such crimes are difficult to detect and we would urge victims to report every such incident to us.

“This gives us a better understanding of the scale of the problem and allows us to devote extra resources to counter this.

“We would also urge members of the public to report anyone they see acting suspiciously around cars, and especially taxis as they are often assumed to have money in the vehicles.”

Call police on 101 to report a crime - or 999 if there is a crime in progress – or leave information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The private hire taxi drivers have also called on Swindon Borough Council to change a rule that requires them to have a yellow plate secured to their cars at all times, which they argue is attracting vandals.

The local authority said that the policy is in line with national guidance and a review of the Taxi Licensing Policy is currently out to consolidation.

_________________
IDFIMH

Keh?

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

You have a unique ability to make things less clear by highlighting them.

_________________
IDFIMH

Didn't want to say anything, and wondered if it was maybe my old age, or colour blindness, my laptop screen, or whatever

But I'm obviously not the only one who had to zoom in to read the highlighted word properly.

But I kind of know the problem - choose a dark colour for highlighting, and it doesn't really stand out. Choose a very light colour, and it's difficult to read.

Next time I'll wear my sunglasses

The "Radiological Hazzard" highlight says "CONSOLIDATION". (My capitalisation.)

I think it should be "CONSULTATION" given the original context.

_________________
Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

A Swindon Police Facebook post about the break-ins, which urges motorists to take precautions. That'll help

Anyway, it's been rehashed by the press (and maybe the AI site, but I haven't looked ), but this is the original post - good to know that vehicle security is 'paramount'

It's usually only safety that's paramount

But there's nothing much here really apart from police comms-type stuff. So not really worth bothering about, and it's not only about the trade. But couldn't help notice the advice specific to the trade, which demonstrates police naivety, in my opinion



We are urging vehicle owners to be vigilant following a spate of break ins in Swindon.

https://www.facebook.com/SwindonPolice/ ... MiCJF5TEGl

Over the course of the past few weeks, we have received a number of similar reports of vehicles being targeted in the town centre and Broadgreen areas of Swindon.

While we are pursuing a number of leads, we’d like to remind people of the importance of ensuring the security of your vehicle and the importance of removing all valuables from your vehicles.

Nothing which could make your vehicle a target should be left on display, including things like coats, bags and boxes. You may be aware that there is nothing valuable in them but a potential thief will not be.

We are also aware that a number of taxis have been targeted in the local area.

We would recommend that anything on taxis which identifies it as a taxi should be removed overnight, if possible, to make it less of a target.

Sgt Davidson of the Swindon central south neighbourhood team said: “We are aware that these break ins are causing concern in our communities at present and please rest assured that we are pursuing a number of leads to locate and arrest the offenders.

“Vehicle security is of paramount importance.

“Thefts from motor vehicles often take place when vehicles have been left unlocked or valuables have been left on display.

“I would urge all vehicle owners to please be mindful over what you’re leaving in your car and whether it could make your vehicle a target.

“Please remove all valuables from your vehicle when leaving it unattended, including what’s in the glove box as we find that’s often what’s being stolen.

“I’d also like to highlight the importance of intelligence and information from our communities. If you see something that could be suspicious then please report it to us.

“You are our eyes and ears on the ground and any piece of information is helpful.”

For more crime prevention advice please visit https://orlo.uk/HkGdQ

And you do that how? (And I assume the t-word is used generically here.)

Also, even if it was practical to remove door signs or plates etc, that would presumably fall foul of the licensing rules...

And, I mean, some councils specify stickers rather than magnetic signs to stop them being removed temporarily

_________________
IDFIMH