Women are being placed at a higher risk of assault because of Government plans to allow minicab drivers to lend their private hire vehicles to family and friends when they are off duty, it has been warned.
The Local Government Association and charities are calling for plans - which have been introduced into the deregulation bill - to be halted.
They say the reform was slipped into the legislation at the "eleventh hour" with "little consultation". They want the clause deleted - a move being supported by the Labour party.
The law already exists in London but this change will apply it to the rest of England and Wales.
At present minicabs outside the capital can only be legally driven by someone licensed through the council - who has undergone criminal, medical and background checks. But under the new law, drivers will be able to loan their cars to anyone they choose. The idea is to help drivers by allowing family members to use their cars - as many can't afford a second vehicle.
But campaigners say it could be used by sexual predators to target victims. "We know that posing as a legitimate minicab driver is the preferred method of some quite dangerous sexual predators and we know that from the statistics in London where sexual assaults by bogus minicab drivers are worryingly high," said Rachel Griffin, director of the Suzy Lamplugh trust - which campaigns for better personal safety.
No comments:
Post a Comment