Cabbies from Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, hackney taxi and private hire drivers are being invited to complete a training course on how to spot the warning signs of child exploitation.
Stopping Child Abuse with the Help of Hackney Taxi and PH drivers
As a main public transport service, taxis are in a great position to aid the crackdown on child abuse and child trafficking. As such, it was recently agreed by the Licensing and Regulatory Committee in Calderdale that mandatory training sessions would be introduced from May 2015.
“If they see something which makes them uneasy, they’ll know how to report it, helping us to keep our communities safe.”
So far, around 700 cabbies have attended over 26 training sessions, with a further four scheduled in for the coming weeks. The course educates them on the signs to watch out for and how to report any suspicious behaviour.
Deputy Leader of Calderdale Council, Councillor Barry Collins, said: “Hackney taxi and private hire drivers spend their working days travelling around our towns. It’s vital that if they ever see anything which concerns them, whether it’s a child or an adult who seems to need help, they know what to do.
“Thanks to this training, if they see something which makes them uneasy, they’ll know how to report it, helping us to keep our communities safe.”
License Renewals and Applications
Welcomed by local cab drivers the 4-hour long training course has been organised by the council in conjunction with West Yorkshire Police and with helpful input from the Halifax Hackney Taxi Owners Association and Private Hire Association.
Current taxi license owners will need to complete the course in order for them to retain the license and new license applicants will be required to go through the course as well as passing a knowledge and geographic test.
Once they have received the training, certificates will be handed out to attendees at a civic graduation reception at the Victoria Theatre, scheduled for 21st October.
All license holders must complete a refresher course every three years in order to retain their license.