Taxi sting anger

Angry Delta drivers (from left) Richard Cook, Peter Bailey, Shafique-ul Rehman, Zahaullah Raja, Derek Ankers, Rashid Muhmud, Dilpazir Ahmed

Police and council accused of enticing drivers to break law

LICENSING and police officers have been accused of entrapment for coercing private-hire drivers into breaking the law.

A joint Oldham Council and police operation to clamp down on private-hire drivers who tout for business on the street resulted in 15 drivers being caught picking up fares that had not been booked in advance.

They are being investigated for the offence of plying for hire and, as their insurance doesn’t cover them for flagged down fares, an offence of having no insurance is also being considered.

But the drivers have hit back — saying they were pressurised by undercover police officers.

They say they were parked and awaiting jobs on the radio from their office base when the officers got into their cars and demanded to be taken to a destination, saying it was important and they were in a hurry.

Despite the drivers insisting every job has to be booked through the office, they said they persisted in putting pressure on them.

Richard Cook, of Delta Cars, which has three drivers involved, said: “The driver in that situation had two choices, to continue to say no to someone who would not take no for an answer and who continues to harass them, or inform the office that he was going mobile and to where and with whom.

“In this day and age when we hear about so many muggings and people getting into cars, frightening drivers, stealing their belongings and sometimes doing them harm, people are warned to be careful and vigilant. What would be going through the drivers mind? What are they after, are they armed? What would the average member of the public do in similar circumstances?”

Once at the destination the drivers were told the passengers were police officers and were then approached by licensing officers saying they were being investigated for committing an offence.

Mr Cook said: “The way this operation was carried out was nothing short of entrapment. They were inciting the drivers to commit an offence by putting them under pressure by their actions. They are putting the drivers’ jobs, their standard of living and that of their families at stake and causing potential problems for them.

“The police and the authorities are there to protect the public and to stop crime. They are not there to entice a crime to be committed — are they not then an accomplice to that crime?

“We all pay Oldham Council for badges and plates and they are using that money to employ people on overtime to carry out entrapment. We are just trying to earn a living and they are enticing people to commit crime. I think it’s an injustice. They should be helping private-hire and hackney drivers.”

He questioned whether it’s an offence to cause another person by their own actions to commit a crime — and even if it constituted “flagging” if the driver told his office of the situation.

Mr Cook concedes that plying for hire is an offence but questioned if the operation was the right way to tackle it.

He says the only way to eradicate the problem is for all taxis — both private hire and hackney — to operate under the same rules and regulations.

Delta received the top four stars in the council’s Cab Safe scheme.

Oldham Council had said it was worried that so many drivers were caught in one night and that more enforcement operations will follow in the run-up to Christmas. Police had said the operation sends out a strong message that rogue drivers won’t be tolerated.

Both the police and council said they couldn’t comment further with an investigation ongoing. The drivers are expected to receive a summons to appear in court.

Councillor Rod Blyth, Cabinet member for community safety and public protection said: “This is a now a matter for the courts therefore it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further at this time.”