Camera could stop abuse (letter to the Star)

Camera could stop abuse

http://sheffield.digicity.co.uk/Newspapers-News/Sheffield_Today.net--1930690678id.html

Law-abiding: It is unjust to to point the spotlight on a few bad apples when majority of taxi drivers provide a good service



YOUR article, "Don't catch a cab on the road to hell" (November 7) doesn't do justice to the majority of taxi drivers, who are law-abiding and provide Sheffielders a service that is greatly appreciated. It also leads to suspicion and distrust against drivers who, in the majority, are trying to go about their business in an orderly fashion.
Certain areas of customer care (safety of driver and passenger, abuse, non-payment, violence and threats) need attention from the taxi traders and other relevant organisations. But it is unjust to point the spotlight on a few bad apples and give the whole trade a bad name.

It is unfortunate that in some cases, mostly women, have felt unsafe and have had to endure abuse, assaults and intimidation. This is unacceptable and individuals responsible should pay a heavy price. Similarly, some drivers can provide horrific stories about violence, robbery, sometimes resulting in serious and fatal injuries.

Taxi drivers reflect our society. There are over 1,800 licensed drivers in Sheffield (Hackney Carriages and Private Hire) nearly 90 per cent of whom are of Asian or minority Ethnic heritage and while it is accepted that there are some who are bad among the trade, the majority provide an excellent service.

We need to be extremely cautious of how incidents and attacks are portrayed; there needs to be a fair balance in reporting taxi incidents, otherwise it's very likely that all drivers can be labelled as abusive and unprofessional and become targets.


What do you think? your comments below.

This can lead to mistrust, intolerance and racist behaviour towards drivers.

We all need to take responsibility in underestanding the causes of the problems faced by drivers and passengers.

In the same edition, Mark Ashmore was given six years for robbing a taxi driver of his earnings and a satellite system. It's encouraging that harsh sentences do send a very clear message: if you break the law you will be dealt with severely.


It can be argued that, due to
the recent events worldwide, tensions have heightened and some drivers have reported an increase in racial abuse and non-payments. This in no way compensates for horrific acts of abuse against some women passengers, but some drivers themselves must get fed up with having to put up with insults and intimidation.

Sheffield City Council, in association with their partners, recently produced the Taxi Safety Camera Pilot Study which was conducted to evaluate safety benefits of CCTV cameras in taxis. The data collected showed that fitting a camera led to a massive reduction in abuse towards the driver. It makes sense to encourage all taxis be fitted with these devices to improve the safety of both the driver and passenger.

Shahbaz Ramzan, Sheffield S5.

Mr Ramzan is a familiar name, he was involved in the pilot scheme for cameras, good article.