Council bosses are in talks over introducing CCTV as a mandatory requirement in private hire vehicles and hackney cabs after a man was racially abused and attacked on the 20th July in Luton.
The attacker, who was entirely unprovoked, got out of his van at a red light on Hitchin Road, close to the Inspire Sports Village, and shouted aggressive racial remarks towards the driver before smashing the rear and two passenger windows of the taxi with a hammer.
Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt in the attack but the driver and his two passengers were said to be extremely distressed by the incident.
PC Simon Rutt said: “This was a seemingly unprovoked attack which has left the victim and his family extremely upset. Thankfully no one suffered any serious injuries but this offender is obviously a violent individual who was not afraid to use a weapon in a public place to cause a great amount of damage and fear.”
Secretary of the National Private Hire Association, Bryan Roland, added: “I hear about incidents like this every day and most are alcohol related.
“Since 1993, 65 taxi drivers have been murdered and over two thirds of them have been Asian.
“The dangers of being out there are going from bad to worse. For us, the lack of CCTV is so far behind the rest of society.
“The laws protecting taxi drivers are out of date; we need CCTV and only a small number of councils in the United Kingdom have made this mandatory, the rest need to help protect drivers.”
Joining Forces
Luton Borough Drivers Union (LBDU), Bedfordshire Police and Luton Borough Council (LBC) met for the first time last year and have since been in continued talks over concerns for the safety of taxi drivers in the borough.
While the majority of hackney and ph drivers in the borough are in favour of the system, there are concerns over the costs which would be incurred with the purchase and installation process.
Commenting on the financial support that would be offered to drivers, Waseem Ilyas, Deputy Chairman of LBDU said: “We’ve been having constructive talks with Luton Borough Council on this issue.
“While I think most would take it if offered to them for free, money is an issue.
“However, the council have said they would provide an interest free loan scheme for anyone wishing to install CCTV in their taxi or PHV.”