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Plans to put crime in picture

Conrad Astley
10/ 1/2003

A FORMER cabbie who has been involved in a scheme to help taxi drivers feel safer wants to see it get underway in Salford.

Phil Handley from Ellenbrook has been fitting cabs in Trafford with CCTV systems as part of a bid to cut crime against taxi drivers.

The cameras, supplied by Australian-based Raywood, were paid for by Trafford Council and fitted by LSUK Manchester, where Phil works as a branch manager.

They start taking photographs as soon as a customer gets into the cab, which can be used as evidence if the fare attacks the driver or tries to run off without paying.

And if things get rough, the driver can press a panic button which starts the cameras filming.

However, if the photos or films are not needed, they are automatically erased as soon as the customer leaves.

Phil says cabbies who have used the spy cameras told him they feel a lot safer knowing if anything went wrong, they would be able to provide police with evidence, while signs outside announcing CCTV is in operation warn off potential criminals.

The Ellenbrook man, who worked as a cabbie in Salford 18 years ago, says the scheme is only just starting to take off and wants to see it in the city.

Although he says he was never threatened while driving a cab, there were plenty of unpleasant incidents, and he says things have got worse for cabbies recently, pointing to the example of the taxi driver stabbed and killed in Oldham.

Phil told us: "I would like to see this set up in Salford, even if it's just in a few cabs, it's quite a small amount of cash for something that's very worthwhile. I would have thought these should be fitted as standard. I would say Salford's a bit more challenging than Trafford for cab drivers."