Taxis & private hire – safeguarding & safety handbook

A Safeguarding and Safety Handbook has been produced by Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Police in conjunction with organisations representing the city’s hackney carriage and private hire drivers.

The handbook provides advice about a range of safeguarding issues such as child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, domestic abuse and hate crime. It also tells drivers how to deal with a suspicious package and the signs to look out for that passengers might be involved in terrorism.

The handbook advises drivers on what action they can take and where they can report any concerns, as well as providing websites where they can obtain more information.

It provides examples of suspicious behaviour to look out for, such as a driver picking up a young person who looks drunk and gets into the car with a visibly older person who asks for them to be taken to a hotel.

Drivers are also given practical tips about making sure they stay safe while on the road, as well as advice about disability issues and etiquette while dealing with the public.

The handbook can be found on the Manchester City Council www.manchester.gov.uk

Home Office campaign to help taxi and private hire vehicle staff identify and safeguard victims of ‘County Lines’
To help safeguard vulnerable children and protect them from gangs, the Home Office, Institute of Licensing and CrimeStoppers are working to increase awareness among taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, and licensing staff, of the signs to spot a potential victim.

Thousands of children and teenagers – some as young as 12 – are being exploited by criminal gangs to carry drugs from urban areas to coastal and market towns. Many of these children travel between the city and rural towns in taxis or private hire vehicles in a criminal activity known as ‘county lines’.

Taxis are a popular form of transport for children being exploited by ‘county line’ gangs. Children may make the whole journey between the city and rural town in a private hire vehicle or taxi, or else use one for part of the journey.

To help safeguard these vulnerable children and protect them from gangs, the Home Office, Institute of Licensing and CrimeStoppers are working to increase awareness among taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, and licensing staff, of the signs to spot a potential victim.

The signs to spot are:

• A child, normally 14-15 years old, but can be as young as 12 travelling a long train journey alone.
• They may be from another area, so may not be familiar with an area (may look lost) and may have a distinct urban accent.
• They may be travelling during school hours or unusual hours (e.g. late in the evening).
• An obvious relationship with controlling, older individuals.
• Suspicion of self-harm, physical assault or unexplained injuries.
• Excessive receipt of texts or phone calls.

The Home Office has produced posters to help taxi and private hire vehicle drivers and booking staff recognise the signs to spot potential victims and these can be downloaded from www.gov.uk/county-lines-posters-for-taxi-and-private-vehicle-hire-staff

Taxi drivers who spot a vulnerable young person should report their concerns to CrimeStoppers on  0800 555 111.

This is just one part of the wider work the Home Office is doing to tackle County Lines, which is set out in the new Serious Violence Strategy which includes:

• providing funding to establish the new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to co-ordinate the police and wider law enforcement response to tackle County Lines
• continuing to work with the Crown Prosecution Service and national police lead on the prosecution of county lines cases
• undertaking awareness-raising activity to help young and vulnerable people understand how to avoid becoming involved and exploited by County Lines gangs.