NO GO GO SLOW AFTER COPS SAY SORRY

01-08-2009

Private hire drivers in Birmingham are being urged to boycott plans for a city centre "go slow" in protest at a perceived lack of police protection. A number of cabbies were proposing to disrupt traffic following the murder of Selly Oak-based driver Mohammed Arshad, but say they've now received an apology from the cops.

As we reported earlier this week union spokesman Waseem Zaffar was concerned about the high level of violence - both physical and verbal - being directed at his members.

He also said that drivers rarely reported cases of non-payment because they lacked confidence in the police.

The issue came to a head after Mr Arshad's body was found dumped in Hopwood last week.

Following a meeting yesterday (Friday) between private hire operators and senior officers from the West Midlands force there seems to be a new mood of conciliation.

It's being claimed that the police said sorry for failing to deliver a consistent approach.

Zaffar commented: "The meeting with police was very positive and we look forward to an ongoing dialogue to address concerns over driver safety.

“We would urge taxi drivers in the city not to take action. Any action taken by drivers would be illegal and would not receive the support of the unions.

“We were encouraged to listen to the police response today and to their commitment to developing an ongoing working relationship and we will support the initiatives outlined today.”

Supt Matt Ward said in a statement: “Building trust and confidence is at the heart of what policing in Birmingham is all about and so it was disappointing to hear that there is a section of our community who feel disengaged by the police. “

“There are examples of good work undertaken by police, as outlined by the drivers’ themselves at today’s meeting, but this needs to be consistent across all of Birmingham.”

“We want to emphasise that West Midlands Police will never tolerate violence and we are committed to working with the Birmingham taxi drivers to ensure that they are able to work in the safest environment possible.”

See also "Taxi Drivers Need More Protection"