Call Sign March 2001

VIOLENCE IN THE CAB PLACE 1

Mention was made at the DaC AGM by a subscriber of rumours regarding several incidents of robbery with violence currently encircling the licensed taxi trade. Unfortunately, the rumours are mostly true and the police were investigating seven such incidents when we last enquired.
Call Sign spoke to one of our drivers, 70 year old Stan Carter (M95), who was attacked and badly beaten by five young thugs. While we had to think twice before publishing the photo of Stan following his release from hospital, Call Sign came to the conclusion that without it, this could turn into just another article to skim through. Stan Carter could have been blinded. As it transpired, he needed several stitches just above his eye. Just half an inch lower and the consequences could have been far more tragic.
His wife Pamela told Call Sign of the phone call she got on the evening of January 7th at about 10.30 informing her that Stan had been taken St Mary's in Paddington. She rushed there and in her words "...I had never

Stan Carter after being attacked

seen so much blood, Stan's face was covered in it."
   Stan Carter now takes up the story:
   "I had just finished a radio job and was coming up Barlby Roan W10 when I saw someone put their hand out. As I stopped, this young man got in and four similarly aged kids appeared out of nowhere (all white, aged aprox 16 to 18) and followed behind. They asked me for Latimer Road station and then asked me to go into Crowhurst Road - which leads into a car park.
   One came round and paid me and I heard another say 'let's do it now'. Before I could
think, they had grabbed me

through the window, pulled the door open and pulled my pullover and jacket around me to stop my arms moving.
   They threw me onto the floor and everytime I tried to get up, someone would kick me. I kept getting kicks to the front and back of my head and don't remember a great deal after that. However, I do remember one of them grabbing me and asking where the money was. They had already taken my change-holder in which I had about Ł50. I told them that was all I had and eventually they must have believed me.
   Then I saw three of them run off while two stayed - one getting into the drivers cab and one in the back. Fortunately he couldn't get it into gear and they both then ran off. I couldn't see because there was so much blood in my eyes, but I managed to call the police and they took me to hospital."
   Stan says that he has never thought of locking himself in but will as of now. He has now recovered and is back at work, but the problem is still there...

VIOLENCE IN THE CAB PLACE 2

George Smith (K97) has been with Dial-a-Cab for 18 years and like most cab drivers, felt reasonably safe in his cab with the front doors locked. That was until Sunday 28th January 2001 when he picked up two men from Victoria Station to take them to Brodlove Lane, off The Highway. At the destination he was directed into a dead-end street where one passenger alighted from the cab while the other remained inside.
   The man inside the cab then thrust a gun through the petitioning window and demanded that George hand over his money to the other passenger - now standing by the driver's door window.
George gave them Ł50 and immediately hit the emergency button in the cab but received no response. Not surprisingly, George is concerned that with all the false alarm calls being caused by drivers accidentally hitting the panic button, the possibility arises of staff ignoring them.
   "If this is the case" George told Call Sign, "isn't there a good reason to move the button or perhaps create a password which would alert the Call Centre that there was a need to act?"
He went onto add that the police informed him that there had been several such incidents within the past week.
   "One driver" said George "picked these same two suspects up from the rank in Cabot Square, where many of our drivers pick up every night. Is it really necessary for our drivers who want to pick up account customers to have to sit on a public rank and ply for hire?"
   George has now recovered and is working normally.

VIOLENCE IN THE CAB PLACE 3

John Butcher (M69) has been with Dial-a-Cab since last September but has held a licence for 25 years.
   Last month in the early evening, he picked up two passengers at Trafalgar Square - who he described as being in their mid-twenties - and took them to The Highway where they then directed him to Glamis Place. Both passengers got out and John told Call Sign that at that moment he had the feeling that they were going to do a 'runner'. He now wishes that they had...
   One went to the drivers door and said "how much" while almost immediately the man at the passenger window took out a gun and aimed it at John:
   "Give us your money..." he screamed. John gave them about Ł70. "More" he shouted. John was trying to sound calm and explained that much of his work was on account and that was all he had.
   The two men then ran off and took John's phone with them to make sure he couldn't call the police.
   "The whole thing took about 20 seconds," said John and I still find it hard to believe that it actually happened. The thought frightens me far more now than it did at the time."
   But John's story didn't quite finish there. He says he should have driven to Limehouse Police Station but didn't because he thought the Limehouse Link was closed and the traffic might have been bad, so he drove to Bow Road PS.
   When he got there, it was closed with a notice saying open between the hours of 8am to 5pm. So he drove to Leytonstone PS...the same thing there. He then went to Wanstead, which was also shut and finally found success at Barkingside - by which time he was almost home.
   "The police actually admitted that they were disgusted by the closures" said John, " but they were powerless."
   John is now working normally again... "But" he explained to Call Sign," I now only stop for passengers that I like the look of - rules or no rules."
   And who can argue with him...?

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