Plans for CCTV to be installed in Fareham taxis to be decided

The decision will be made by Fareham Borough Council’s licensing and regulatory affairs committee in an upcoming meeting on September 4. The move follows a Department for Transport’s report in July 2020, which highlighted safety standards in taxis, particularly for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Last year, a consultation involving 77 members of the licensed trade revealed that around 68 per cent did not favour mandatory CCTV, mainly due to cost concerns. Within the trade, 48 per cent of drivers reported facing threats while working, and 41 per cent already had CCTV installed in their vehicles.

A separate survey involving 95 members of the public found that four individuals had experienced crime while in a taxi. A noteworthy 74 per cent of respondents conveyed that they would feel safer in taxis equipped with CCTV, with 61 per cent supporting mandatory installation.

The council will review their decision to not approve a blanked requirement for CCTV last year due to ‘relatively low’ complaint levels and pandemic-induced financial hardships felt by drivers.

The council is revisiting its previous decision to reject a blanket requirement for CCTV, which was influenced by relatively low complaint levels and financial challenges faced by drivers due to the pandemic.

Council documents state: “On 26 July 2023, Donna Jones, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, called for all licensing authorities across Hampshire to introduce mandatory CCTV in taxis and private hire vehicles.

“This call was made following the conviction of a taxi driver in Southampton in May 2023 for a serious sexual assault to a passenger in his taxi. The police found footage on the mandatory CCTV in the taxi which led to the conviction without the need for the victim to suffer the ordeal of a trial.”

The proposal suggests that all newly plated taxis should be equipped with CCTV, while existing vehicles would have until April 25, 2025, to comply with this requirement.