Taxis in Dudley could soon have CCTV cameras
Taxis could be equipped with CCTV in a bid to protect passengers and drivers from harm.
Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles would be fitted with cameras under new proposals by Dudley Council.
The plans have been drawn up after taxi drivers approached council bosses with concerns for their safety.
Shaz Saleem, the chairman of Dudley Private Hire and Taxi Association, has welcomed the proposals but feels Dudley Council has taken too long in addressing the issue.
The council’s taxi committee will make a decision at a meeting on Thursday.
Mr Saleem said: “We have wanted CCTV for a while. We can’t use CCTV at the moment and need the council’s permission to do so.
"We were given verbal permission in November but haven’t had anything yet in writing.
"We are still talking about CCTV when drivers are getting attacked left, right and centre.
"How can the council treat drivers like this and why has it taken so long?”
There are four different options on the table.
Dudley Council had previously drawn up plans which would see the local authority made responsible for all CCTV footage.
However new European Union data protection legislation coming into effect next month puts more responsibility on organisations holding data.
As a result the council is opting to give taxi drivers full control over both cameras and footage.
Councillor Alan Hopwood, chairman of the taxi committee, said: “Taxi-drivers want CCTV cameras put in their cars.
"The committee likes the idea of fitting CCTV optionality in vehicles without council-imposed controls."
