Move to beef up taxi security pleases industry

Photo / Herald on Sunday

Cameras are to be installed in taxis in a bid to improve security after the recent murders of two drivers, one of whom was killed in a frenzied Auckland knife attack earlier this year.

The move has been welcomed by the taxi sector which will be governed by strict privacy policies and fines of up to $10,000 if drivers misuse the footage, as has happened overseas where images have appeared on the internet.

In announcing the decision yesterday, Transport Minister Steven Joyce said taxi drivers' working environments were no longer as safe as they once were.

While drivers could never be 100 per cent safe, Mr Joyce said the new measures would make a significant reduction to the risks they faced.

"Overseas experience suggests that in-vehicle cameras could reduce violent and serious crime in taxis by 70 per cent and taxi fare evasion by 70 per cent."

The new rule, which will be implemented in all towns and cities where there are more than 20 taxis, is expected to be in force by the middle of next year.

Taxi companies and drivers will be responsible for the cost of installing and operating the cameras.

Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said his organisation had been working on a number of solutions to help those who could not afford a camera.

That included bulk purchasing and help with financing.

However, it was expected drivers were likely to put up their flagfall charge, the amount paid as soon as you get into a taxi, by 30 cents.

Mr Reddish said it would take two to three years to recover the cost of a camera.

He said the federation was delighted by the announcement as it was something they had been working towards for a long time. It also follows several high-profile attacks.

Christchurch taxi driver Abdulrahman Ikhtiari was stabbed to death while on the job in December 2008, and earlier this year, 39-year-old Auckland driver Hiren Mohini died after being stabbed by a passenger.

Auckland Taxi Co-op driver Sarath Fernando, who went to Mr Mohini's aid, doubted that cameras would have been able to protect the father-of-two, saying he believed the attacker "was a cold-blooded killer".

Mr Fernando said cameras would be of only limited help and mounting a "glass cage" around the driver's seat was a much better solution.

LOCATIONS

Cameras will operate in:

Whangerei, Gisborne, Wellington, Dunedin, Auckland, Napier, Hastings, Nelson, Queenstown, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Blenheim, Invercargill, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Rotorua, Wanganui and Timaru.

- Additional reporting: NZPA