Concerns over hate crimes towards Rotherham taxi drivers

A report to be heard by Rotherham Council's cabinet next Monday (September 21), sets out what the council has done to protect taxi drivers in the borough.

Rotherham's Youth Council were concerned that a "number" of taxi drivers had experienced hate incidents in wake of the cases of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and asked how the council and police were supporting them.

The report stated that the council has reviewed their policy, following a public consultation.

The council had found that taxi drivers "were very clear in relation to experiencing incidents at significant levels and in some cases their families were feeling in danger and experiencing hate crimes and victimisation as aresult of their association with taxi drivers".

The report added that their policy changed in 2015 centred on protecting the public, but now it would be "more focused on protecting individual drivers as well as the public, after listening to feedback from the trade, family groups and another representative groups."

Other plans to protect drivers included potential enhancement of cameras in vehicles and, placing a duty on taxi companies that they would have to act in a manner that "did not encourage any discrimination."

The report adds that is someone were to request a White British taxi driver, the company would be expected to refuse the request.

It continued: "Taxi drivers were encouraged to report hate crime. One of the requirements of being a taxi driver was to attend safeguarding training, which included hate crime - recognising the signs of hate crime and how to report it but also how to act if you were a victim of hate crime whilst driving the taxi".

The Youth Council also raised concerns that: "there was a perception that taxi licensing in the council was racist", and queried how this was being addressed.

The report states that: "Assurance was given that action would be taken if anystaff acted in this way but there was no evidence to show people had acted in a racist manner and public records existed of decisions and the reasons why they had been taken."

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