Taxi Driver Online

Here's another example of a slightly feeble and puffed-out Taxi Point piece, which seems based on this Facebook post by Nantwich Police. Check out all it says about the trade, as highlighted


https://www.facebook.com/PoliceNantwich ... cale=en_GB

Nantwich Night Time Economy – Night of Action sees over 20 officers take to the towns streets!
Tonight, officers are out in the town centre as part of a coordinated Night Time Economy Night of Action, working alongside partner agencies to keep our town safe, welcoming and enjoyable for everyone.

Our operation focused on five key areas -

• A drugs detection dog was deployed, resulting in over 20 positive indications. Searches were carried out and a number of individuals will be summonsed to court for possession offences. A big thank you to staff from Change Grow Live Cheshire East for being on hand to provide support and advice.

• Officers working alongside Cheshire East carried out a covert taxi licensing operation to ensure vehicles and drivers operating late at night are licensed, insured and safe for the public.

• Our team of PCSO’s were on patrol with Cheshire East civil enforcement officers, resulting in over 30 tickets issued at locations such as Welsh Row, St Anne’s lane, Jackson Avenue and many more. This included one particularly concerning case where a driver was found using the blue badge of a person who is now deceased!

• Licensing checks were completed at every pub in the town, with officers engaging positively with licensees and staff to ensure compliance and promote a safe night-time environment.

• Checkpoints were set up at multiple sites to target drink/drug drivers. This resulted in the arrest of a male found to be over three times the legal alcohol limit! Several other tickets were issued to drivers for various motoring offences.

We would like to thank Cheshire's Special Constabulary, Rural Crime team, and the public for their cooperation and support. These operations are about preventing harm, tackling antisocial behaviour and keeping Nantwich safe for residents, visitors and those working late into the night.

Which then grows a few arms and legs via Taxi Point:


Cheshire Police conduct covert late-night taxi enforcement operation as part of wider crackdown

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/chesh ... -crackdown

Police and council officers carried out targeted taxi and private hire vehicle checks during a coordinated Night Time Economy Night of Action in Nantwich, aimed at ensuring vehicles operating late at night were properly licensed, insured and safe for passengers.

Cheshire Police confirmed that officers worked alongside Cheshire East Council on a covert taxi licensing operation, focusing on vehicles picking up and dropping off passengers during peak night-time hours. The checks were designed to identify unlicensed drivers, unsafe vehicles and any breaches of local licensing conditions.

While police did not release a breakdown of offences specific to the taxi operation, the exercise formed part of a broader enforcement effort that saw multiple compliance failures detected across the town.

Officers said the taxi checks were intended to protect passengers and maintain confidence in licensed night-time transport, particularly as demand increases during weekends and the festive period.

Covert checks on taxis and private hire vehicles formed a central part of a wider night-time enforcement exercise in Nantwich town centre.

The taxi operation ran in parallel with wider patrols involving police community support officers and Cheshire East civil enforcement teams. These patrols resulted in more than 30 tickets being issued for parking and other civil offences at locations including Welsh Row, St Anne’s Lane and Jackson Avenue. One case involved a driver found using the blue badge of a person who is now deceased.

The Night of Action also included drink and drug driving checkpoints, leading to the arrest of a man found to be more than three times the legal alcohol limit. Several other motorists were reported for a range of driving offences during the operation.

In addition, a drugs detection dog was deployed in the town centre, resulting in more than 20 positive indications. A number of individuals are expected to be summonsed to court for possession offences, with support provided on the night by staff from Change Grow Live Cheshire East.

Licensing checks were also carried out at every pub in the town, with officers engaging with licensees and staff to ensure compliance and promote a safe operating environment.

Police said the operation involved more than 20 officers, supported by Cheshire’s Special Constabulary and the Rural Crime Team. The force said the action was focused on preventing harm, tackling antisocial behaviour and keeping Nantwich safe for residents, visitors and those working late into the night.

Which isn't exactly inaccurate or entirely misleading, or whatever.

But the 29 words posted by Cheshire Police about the operation is, I'd guess, more than enough for the average member of the trade, and indeed I'd guess for the average reader of Taxi Point. But Taxi Point puffs it out to around 400 words (albeit also including some stuff about the wider operation), most of which I'd guess is wholly superfluous to the average reader of trade publications.

I mean, do we really need to know how many parking tickets police in handed out in Nantwich the other night, and in which specific streets, all of which has zero to do with the trade?

And, of course, rather than analysing, interrogating and critiquing that kind of thing, Taxi Point is simply doing officialdom's PR job for them

Nantwich police also posted a few photos of the op, and Taxi Point used this one to illustrate its piece. Again, I can't see any indication at all that these are plated vehicles:



Anyway, I don't know the geography of the area nor nighttime economy specifics, but seems like one huge operation for a town which seems to be smaller than St Andrews, or at least of a similar size

And, going by the photos posted on Facebook, the operation doesn't really look 'covert'

(The high-res photos can be viewed via the link to Facebook at the top of this thread.)