Local London Assembly Member, Len Duvall AM, has given his support to the frontline staff working to protect the public from unlicensed taxis. After observing an enforcement operation in Lewisham and Greenwich on Friday night, Mr Duvall said: “We need to send a clear message that unlicensed minicabs have no place in our city.”
Mr Duvall joined a specialist team which is working to tackle illegal minicab activity. The team was comprised of members of the Met’s Taxi and Private Hire Policing Team and Compliance Officers from Transport for London (TfL). The evening patrol, which covered various hotspot locations across the two boroughs, saw officers carry out vehicle and driver licensing checks, as well as intelligence-led anti-touting activity. Over 600 of these joint operations take place every year, with more than 8,000 arrests being made since 2003.
TfL has been working to raise public awareness about the dangers of using unbooked minicabs through its Safer Travel at Night campaign (STaN). When passengers don’t book their taxi through a licensed company, they could be at great risker of sexual assault and robbery, and there is no record of their driver, journey or vehicle.
Local London Assembly Member, Len Duvall AM, said:
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to see first-hand the vital work that our police officers and TfL are doing to keep Londoners safe.
“Unlicensed minicabs put passengers at risk and we need to send a clear message that they have no place in our city.
“Any drivers who engage in this harmful illegal activity should think twice and know that they will be caught and dealt with robustly.”
Notes to editors
- For more information about the Safer Travel at Night campaign, please visit the TfL website.
- Len Duvall is the London Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham.