MP calls for taxis to have CCTV

HIGH RISK situations for taxi drivers could be mitigated by installing CCTV cameras in all minicabs and taxis, according to a Conservative MP.

Bedford MP Richard Fuller said that cameras, which are long overdue, would also help make passengers feel safer.

Proposing his Licensed Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles (Closed circuit television) Bill, Mr Fuller said: "In this Bill, I would propose that we should provide for secure and encrypted CCTV."

Mr Fuller's Bill would ensure that recordings would only be for police access and only in specific cases.

"It's important, from the point of view of privacy, that the information is secure, and that it is encrypted. It should also be the case that it is only accessible by the police, in the circumstances where a crime is reported to have been committed. I also believe that it should be a mandatory system."

He said the Bill would "establish minimum standards for such installations" and put taxis and minicabs on the same footing as other public modes of transport.

"CCTV in taxis is not just about providing safety for our drivers, it's also about providing safety for our passengers," Mr Fuller said.

"This Bill seeks to provide a level of security for our taxi drivers that I believe is long overdue. It is one that workers in other transport high-risk situations already benefit from. And I believe that it will have a significant impact."

Mr Fuller said the Bill would be a way of showing drivers the respect they deserve "and stop treating them as second class citizens".

The Bill, which has cross party support, was brought forward unopposed.

By Soraya Kishtwari, Press Association