Fareham taxis to have CCTV installed to help prevent crime

Fareham Borough Council’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs committee met yesterday and approved to mandate taxi drivers to install CCTV systems in their vehicles.

In July of this year, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones lobbied licensing authorities to mandate CCTV in taxis following the conviction of a driver in Southampton for sexually assaulting a passenger.

The council’s head of environmental health, Ian Rickman, told committee members that the CCTV in the taxi ‘played quite a big part in that conviction and prevented the victim from reliving the ordeal in court’.

Councillor Pamela Bryant, chair of the committee, said members have a duty not only to protect the public but also taxi drivers ‘because it does work both ways’.

In a poll of 77 people in the licensed trade last year, 68 per cent objected to the idea of having to install CCTV, mostly because of the cost. Among taxi drivers, 48 per cent said they’ve faced threats while working, and 41 per cent already have CCTV in their vehicles.

In another survey of 95 members of the public, four people said they experienced a crime while in a taxi. Notably, 74 per cent of respondents said they’d feel safer in taxis with CCTV, and 61 per cent supported making it mandatory.

Cllr Sue Walker added: ‘When you look at the statistics you see that 37 have already been threatened while at work.

“I personally would like to see that date brought forward from April 2025, we’ve moved on from COVID.’

“Maybe we should be going back to the PCC and saying look this is a good idea but are you going to put any funding towards helping the taxi drivers to do this that haven’t already done it.

“Even if it’s a 50/50 split or some sort of grant that’s available.”

Committee members agreed the date for existing drivers to install CCTV should be brought forward to 31 December 2024.

In response to the decision Donna Jones said she is ‘delighted’ that the council responded to her call to mandate CCTV in taxis.

She added: “Keeping residents safe is my number one priority, and now another council has followed suit in showing its commitment."

A spokesperson added that the PCC believes the scheme should be funded using the same model as Portsmouth, Southampton and Gosport.