CRACK DOWN ON EVIL TAXI DRIVERS.

More 'knee jerk' politics.

It's been announced that the government is considering instituting more restrictive rules on the granting of taxi licenses. This is apparently in an effort to reduce the risk of passengers being the victims of taxi drivers who have evil intent.

One assumes this is another part of the response to the story of the 'Black Cab Rapist', John Worboys, following on from the proposal to give victims of crime a stronger say in the parole process. That was a mistake and this is little better.

Apparently, the granting of licenses to prospective taxi drivers is currently a matter for individual councils and some are more lenient than others when it comes to considering an applicant's previous history. Now the government wants to implement new rules which all councils would have to abide by and which, presumably, would be at the tougher end of the spectrum. There are obvious problems with this approach.

Firstly, what about local autonomy ? At a time when there are ever more demands for local authorities to have greater power over their own areas and services, how can the implementation for nationwide rules make sense ? Surely it is up to each council area to assess its own needs and determine its own regulations.

Secondly, since when did checking past records ever stop criminals from acting in the present and future ? Criminal records' checks are all very well but they only flag up those who have been caught; the clever ones, or those who have yet to offend, pass the test with flying colours. There's also a big difference between crimes - where will the line be drawn in determining who can, and who cannot, be granted a license ?

Thirdly, what's to stop bogus taxi drivers from setting up in business or are we going to have a new agency, OFCAB perhaps, to monitor all taxi and minicab activity nationwide ? 

Fourthly, how many taxi drivers have actually been found guilty of any crime against a passenger in, say, the last 10 years ? The government's 'Taxis Minister' (really ??) has been quoted as saying that "we have seen too many cases where taxi and minicab drivers have used their job to prey on vulnerable people, women and children". Nowhere can I find any numbers to back up this claim.

Is this not just another example of government using a sledgehammer to crack a nut ? Of more 'knee jerk' law making ? Of yet more restrictions on individual freedom in the pursuit of unachievable perfection ? Why not just microchip us all at birth so that the government can know our whereabouts and actions at every moment of every day ? That would solve the problem once and for all.