South Hams District Council in Devon is in the process of recruiting black cab drivers to help crackdown on child exploitation.
Raising Awareness
Earlier this year, the council ran a trial scheme in which 51 drivers attended the new safeguarding course. At least three reports of questionable behavior have been reported directly to safeguarding agencies since the training was completed.
The plan now is to run frequent workshops from the council offices based in Totnes. This will allow taxi drivers to learn about the trends often used by offenders. The aim of the course is to provide taxi drivers with the confidence, and know how, to report suspicious activity.
Black Cab Drivers – The Eyes and Ears of the Community
“It’s very important that we continue to provide training for those who are closely linked to vulnerable groups within our communities.”
The council has announced its strategy for the drivers to “become the eyes and ears of the community”. It believes that, with the right training, taxi drivers will be able to pick up on important warning signs.
Councillor Hilary Bastone said: “It’s very important that we continue to provide training for those who are closely linked to vulnerable groups within our communities.
“The previous course was a resounding success and we want to continue to build upon that to keep our residents safe.”
Happy to Help
“This course should be made compulsory to all licensed drivers.”
So far, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response from the taxi trade. The general feeling among drivers is, if they can help just by doing their daily jobs, there’s no reason not to get involved.
A local taxi driver who completed the training commented: “This course should be made compulsory to all licensed drivers. I’m surprised by how widespread this activity is in the West Country.”
To find out when the next safeguarding course is scheduled or for further information on how you can help, call 01803 861336 or email Louisa.Daley@swdevon.gov.uk.