Taxi driver concerns prompted by social media clip
Just now
Jasmine Lowe
North East and Cumbria
Taxi passengers have been reassured dangerous bogus cab drivers are in the minority after footage circulating online prompted concerns.
A short clip taken from a council meeting referenced drivers sexually exploiting vulnerable women, which Newcastle City Council said had left people with an unrealistic view of the scale of the danger.
At the meeting, Northumbria Police had outlined Operation Salus which aims to protect people on a night out and shared some examples of drivers preying on women.
But licensing committee member Owen Burbidge said: "Across the hundreds of thousands of journeys taken each year, and the millions of miles covered, complaints about taxis remain very low."
The initiative focuses on tackling violence, anti-social behaviour and sexual assault at night in urban areas.
A clip from the meeting, at which it was discussed, was widely shared on social media, with comments urging people to be careful.
Burbidge said there was "no specific or immediate threat" to people's safety.
There was "no need for public concern" and the council had "taken steps to make legitimate taxis as easily identifiable as possible".
'Predator' taxi driver
Newcastle City Centre neighbourhood policing team, Insp Karen Madge, said officers viewed monitored potentially suspicious vehicles on CCTV.
"Within a twelve month period, the team has carried out more than 130 proactive interventions, each one representing an opportunity to identify a risk, safeguard a vulnerable person or stop a situation from escalating," she said.
Last year, Kuldip Chahal, from Blyth who police described as a "predator", was caught by officers from Operation Salus while attempting to guide a lone, intoxicated woman into his car.
Officers spotted Chahal on CCTV and intervened before he could drive away.
Burbidge said a licensed taxi could be identified by its black and white bonnet, red council crest on the front door and City of Newcastle taxi sign on the roof.
Private hire vehicles, which must be pre-booked, display a green council identification plate and the operator's details on the rear passenger doors.
"As we approach the busy Christmas period, there is no reason for people to feel concerned," he said.
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