All East Yorkshire taxis to be fitted with CCTV cameras

The CCTV will eventually be installed in all 313 licenced taxis in the East Riding of Yorkshire

All taxis in East Yorkshire are to be fitted with CCTV cameras in a bid to improve driver and passenger safety.

A voluntary CCTV scheme was introduced by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in 2016 which saw cameras installed in 199 cabs, but it will now be mandatory.

The authority will pay £160,000 to fit the equipment in the remaining third of taxis that do not yet have it.

In-taxi CCTV footage had been used 53 times in police and County Hall investigations, councillors have heard.

That footage had led to action being taken in assault cases, both from passengers and drivers, a council report said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, footage had also been used in theft and burglary cases and to disprove false accusations made against drivers.

The authority's licensing committee heard that the new systems would allow both drivers and passengers to turn on audio recording, with a light also coming on to alert people they were being recorded.

Licensing officers told the committee it would allow customers to record conversations if they became uncomfortable and it might deter drivers from talking to them inappropriately.

They added it would also mean drivers could record conversations with customers if they needed to.

The committee heard changes in the council's policy had taken into account concerns raised during consultations about both safety and privacy.

While there were no serious issues in the East Riding which needed to be addressed with new equipment, CCTV could act as a deterrent, officers said.

They added the equipment could also help save drivers money on insurance, by between 10 to 15% in some cases, and help them with no-fault claims.

Drivers who currently have CCTV told the council they felt it deterred aggression and abuse from passengers and stopped customers from running off without paying fares.