Camera trial aims to cut taxi assaults

One of Auckland's biggest taxi firms is doubling the number of security cameras in its cars as assaults on drivers increase.

Co-op Taxis general manager Barrie White said that over the next month, 20 cameras from Korea - each costing $500-$1500 - would be installed in selected cabs. If the trial is successful, cameras could be fitted in the company's 850 cars.

The new cameras add to the 20 installed in cars for insurance reasons last year. Notices inside those taxis tell passengers they are being filmed and the result has been fewer instances of bad behaviour.

It's a different story in taxis without cameras, where assaults on drivers and fare evasion are "out of control", says White. "We had five assaults last weekend."

One of those involved a beer bottle being thrown at the driver through the window, the second such incident in a month.

Following the murder of Christchurch taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari in December, Transport Minister Steven Joyce ordered a review into driver safety and promised the Taxi Federation he would give "serious thought" to making security cameras mandatory in every taxi. Early this month, however, Joyce announced such a move would be too expensive.

White said the company - one of 95 represented by the federation - was "pretty disappointed" at the minister's decision, especially as the federation was not asking for the Government to subsidise compulsory cameras.

The results of the Co-op trial will be made available to all companies in the federation. President Kevin Braid said driver safety was a great concern and the federation would be following the results closely.

"It's becoming widespread, especially in Auckland. There have been some lengthy delays getting police assistance. If a distress call goes out from one of our drivers, we normally attend to it quicker than the police because they're busy with other matters."