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Attacks
on taxi drivers in Croydon have increased dramatically in the last 10
years. This problem has been effectively highlighted by the murder of no
less than 25 taxi drivers in the last nine years. It is accepted that taxi
drivers have up 15 times the average exposure to occupational violence.
This fact has made it increasingly hard to hire and retain quality drivers.
Road
Runners, a Croydon based cab firm shared a simlar problem. On average, one
of its drivers was attacked every fortnight. The risk and perceived risk
had risen to such an extent that the safety and retention of drivers had
become a serious issue. Road Runners turned to the latest development in
taxi security - Halon Bank CabWatch.
Managing director of Road Runner, explains: “My drivers are
at the front end of crime in Croydon, and exposed to violence on a regular
basis. The full extent of the problem is greatly under estimated as they
are now only reporting the most serious attacks to the Police. Violence
towards taxi drivers has become significantly worse in the last 10 years
as more and more licensed premises have opened in the area.
“Our
drivers are exposed to the very worst elements in society often high on
drink and drugs; one local cab firm recently had a driver robbed and
killed for just £25. We decided that we needed to get tough and turned to
Halon Bank CabWatch, the only credible system on the market.”
Halon Bank
CabWatch has a tiny camera installed inside the taxi, which records images
of its occupants and stores them securely. If the driver feels threatened
or fears an attack he/she can press a hidden button, which will send an
alert to Halon Bank's state-of-the-art monitoring station pinpointing the
location, direction and speed of the vehicle. For added security, an audio
channel transmits the sound from within the vehicle. Once actioned, the
Police are contacted, and the images are downloaded from the vehicle to
the Halon Bank Remote Video Response Centre.
The exact
position of the taxi can be tracked by Halon Bank using Global Positioning
Satellite (GPS) technology, and the police can be notified of any incident
allowing them to 'home-in' on the vehicle. Halon Bank's ability to
listen-in on the activities in the cab whilst securely storing snapshot
photographs, means that should an attack actually take place, the evidence
recorded can be used in court. All images are watermarked, date and
time-stamped, and encrypted.
“The
impact of installing Halon Bank CabWatch has been very evident,” Stuart
continues. “I have had drivers from other companies approach me asking
whether they can drive for us in cars with cameras fitted. I have also had
a significant increase in the number of staff working evenings and nights
particularly at the weekends."
“The
deterrent effect of installing the cameras has really been noticeable. A
driver recently picked up a couple of lads who had previously ‘done a
runner’; they indicated that they were considering doing it again. The
driver pointed out the camera and the lads rapidly changed their tune and
paid their fare in full without causing any problems.”
Halon Bank
CabWatch is already receiving positive backing from the local police.
Often an attacker can escape and the Police response is inevitably, 'after
the event'. The Halon Bank CabWatch system changes this and enables the
police to be alerted to an event even before an attack has occurred.
The
system was chosen because, unlike other products on the market, the images
taken are stored in a format that can be used at a later date to secure a
prosecution. Halon Bank has a good professional relationship with the
police, making liaising efficient and effective. Halon Bank CabWatch can
also have a positive impact in helping to reduce insurance premiums.
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