Taxi drivers could record audio under new powers

Drivers would be allowed to make audio recordings if they feel threatened

Taxi drivers in Wolverhampton could be given powers to record audio in their cabs if they feel in danger.

Under plans put forward by the city council, drivers who feel threatened would be able to use a panic switch to momentarily start recording audio.

It follows a spate of attacks against drivers in recent years, which includes the manslaughter of Anakh Singh in 2022.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s regulatory committee is set to approve plans for a six-week public consultation when it meets on Wednesday.

While taxi drivers in the city can install CCTV cameras in their vehicles, they cannot continuously record audio.

The council had previously been against the measure, claiming that it was “highly intrusive” to people’s data rights and “unjustified in meeting the purpose of preventing and evidencing crimes”.

But the authority said it was reviewing its position following a number of incidents, including the death of Mr Singh.

The driver was attacked and killed amid a dispute over a fare on Nine Elms Lane on 30 October 2022.

Tomasz Margol, 36, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Taxi driver Anakh Singh was killed in a dispute over a fare

City of Wolverhampton Council recently installed a panic switch in one taxi as part of a pilot scheme.

The system has been used by Rotherham Council which was one of the first local authorities to allow audio recording in licensed taxis following the child exploitation scandal.

Other cities that have introduced the scheme include Sheffield, Guildford, York, Cambridge and Southampton.

A final decision on whether panic switches will become a permanent fixture in Wolverhampton taxis is not expected to be made until next year.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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